


Dawn of Blue Flames: A Hero's Beginning - A Novel Retelling of Path of Radiance

by Kija_39



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Can be read on its own, Gen, Retelling, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-06-21 10:09:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15555417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kija_39/pseuds/Kija_39
Summary: Ike, a young mercenary, comes across a young girl named Elincia, who claims to be the heir to the throne of a recently conquered country, Crimea. She tasks Ike and company with helping her regain her throne, and along the way face far greater challenges than any of them ever imagined.No prior knowledge or Fire Emblem, Path or Radiance, or Radiant Dawn is required. No relationships I write are confirmed to be canon, but all of them are based off possible Radiant Dawn endings. I also will be fleshing out some characters backstories.





	1. Mercenaries

Thwack.

The sound rang out through the forest; the sound of wood hitting wood.

Two wooden training swords crashing into one another. One fighter was soaked with sweat and a light mist of dirt coated his clothing, while the other hadn’t even broke a sweat. As they fought, capes fluttering in the wind, an opening appeared. The stronger swordsman made a swift, clean thrust at his weary opponent. He went toppling down to the ground before the victor decided to speak.

“Well, Ike? You had enough?”

The man speaking was a tall, muscular man with sharply defined features and clean cut hair. His thick, yellow cape gently billowed in the breeze, juxtaposed by his large, blue shoulder armor. He continued to hold out his sword with, looking down with cobalt blue eyes and an amused grin on his face.

Ike struggled to pull himself together from the tumble. His dark blue hair was dripping with sweat and his bandana sweat-soaked as well; his cape and clothes were now thoroughly covered in dirt. He looked back at the large, imposing figure, with eyes colored the same shade of blue, as he slowly pulled himself together; Ike was still panting from the heat of summer along with frustration and exhaustion. However, his eyes were still filled with determination; Ike got up, as he always did, to continue the fight. After all, he had to land at least one good hit his father, Greil.

Greil continued expertly blocking every one of Ike’s attacks. But as an overhead strike by Ike was cleanly blocked by Greil, a voice rang through the forest.

“Dad? Ike?”

A young girl with short, brown hair just a shade lighter than Greil’s and pale yellow dress was trotting down the hill.

“Oh, Mist!” Greil turned to greet his daughter, but as he did so, Ike took the opportunity to get a strike in. His attempt failed miserably as Greil easily dodged the attack and retaliated with one of his own. It was a clean shot to the back; a painful shot to the back. Ike fell, hitting his head hard on the ground.

Mist had just reached Greil, but Ike did not get up. Mist called her brother. “Ike?” He didn’t respond.

That was the last thing Ike heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

As Ike was unconscious he saw a dream he rarely saw. It was his mother, Elena, singing a lullaby to him. She sung the familiar tune with her usual soft, blue eyes and gentle smile. Mist’s features almost perfectly matched their mother’s face; the only thing she didn’t receive from Elena was her mother’s deep blue hair.

“Mother,” He said it so quietly, Mist couldn’t hear. As Ike sat up, a handkerchief slid off his head. After putting the pieces together of what happened, he realized Mist was singing their mother’s lullaby. “Mist, that song—”

She stopped her humming at his voice and turned to smile at him with the same warmth his mother had “Ah, you’re up! ‘Bout time!” She put down a bundle of flowers she’d been picking and ran over to her brother. “Are you all right?”

“…Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Ike replied, lightly rubbing his head where he fell.

Just then, Greil returned, “So, the sleeping prince awakens!” he teased.

“Father! I can't believe you! I know those are practice swords, but they're still heavy! You have no right to be so rough on Ike,” Mist scolded,

“If this is too much for the boy, he'll never make it as a mercenary,” Greil replied plainly,

Mist, still upset, continued, “But—“

“You don't have to worry. I told you, I'm fine,” Ike interrupted,

Greil smiled at Ike's resolution to continue, “Ha! You'd better be. Now grab your sword and get ready!”

Mist began to retort again, “What? Don't tell me you're going at it again! But—”

Again, Ike interrupted her, “Just until I land a single blow. I'm not giving up until I can get one good hit in on Father.”

“I like your resolve, Ike,” Greil spoke, “But it takes more than a strong will to... ” Greil paused as they heard someone bounding down the hill.

“Aha! I knew I'd find you here!”

A young, muscular man with suntanned skin was running down the hill. His short, dark green hair and eyes blended in well with the brush that surrounded them.

“Hi, Boyd. What brings you here?” Mist asked,

“Nothing special,” Boyd shrugged. “You said you were going to get the boss, but you never came back. I got picked to check up on you,”

“Oh! Sorry, I got caught up with Ike and my father,” Mist apologized,

“It's nothing. Besides, I figured I'd get a good laugh watching Ike get worked over by the boss.” He paused as he looked Ike over. “You...look fine. What happened?”

Ike dryly replied, “Nothing at all. I'm sorry to disappoint you.”

Mist began to giggle, “You just missed it. Just a minute ago, he was out cold,”

“Mist!” Ike hissed back as she went from giggles to laughter.

“Ha ha! Sorry!”

It was then that Greil interrupted their banter. “You came at just the right time, Boyd. You can be Ike's sparring partner. “

“What? Me?” Boyd replied, confused,

“I'm beginning to think it would be better if he sparred with someone closer to his own skill.”

No one in the group spoke for a moment, possibly because Boyd was trying to process that Greil considered him on Ike's skill level.

“...I understand,” Ike replied, disappointed, before continuing, “Thanks for your help, Boyd.”

Boyd bounced out of his thoughts with a confident grin, “Hmph! I don't know about this "to his skill" business, but I'm ready!”

Boyd took a wooden axe Greil offered him as Ike picked up his sword.

Boyd shouted, “All right. I'm ready for you! Let's go!”

The fight was on: axe against sword. Ike made the first strike, a clean slash, which Boyd narrowly dodged. The two of them went on trading blows with only light hits connecting or complete misses.

“You can do it! Boyd's got nothing! Take him out!” Mist cheered,

“‘Nothing!? I don't have nothing. I mean, I have—I mean—”

Ike shut up Boyd’s rambling with a strike to the head, which Boyd blocked with his axe. 

“Ha ha! I'm not done yet. We're just getting started,” Boyd cheered,

Boyd used his block to push Ike's sword away and force an opening for himself, but that's where the axe's disadvantage against the sword showed. As Boyd blocked, Ike's sword got caught under the axe head. As Boyd went to counterattack, he ended up pulling Ike's sword in with him, leaving Ike with an opening. Ike slipped his sword out as Boyd attempted to regain control of his weapon, and Ike landed a clean blow into Boyd’s side. Boyd collapsed onto the ground with a groan, but got up a moment later, clutching his side. “That—that wasn't too bad,”

“Boyd, you're such a loser,” Mist teased,

“Shut your trap!” Boyd retorted,

Before an argument could start, Greil spoke up, “Good work, Boyd. That's enough.”

“Oh, all right!” Boyd rolled his eyes before going to sulk at his loss under a nearby tree

“Your swordsmanship was decent enough, Ike. Don't forget how it felt. It won't always be this easy,” Greil spoke,

“I know,” Ike responded as he noticed out of the corner of his eye how Boyd’s face clearly showed distaste with hearing his round with Ike being called “easy”,

“Now that you're done warming up, it's time for you to face me again.” Greil said, picking up his practice sword,

A smile crept up on Ike’s face. “I was hoping you'd say that.”

“But first, Mist!” Greil called,

“Right here!” Mist walked over with a bottle of syrupy liquid. “Here you go, Ike! It's a vulnerary. I'd recommend using it now, before you fight Father. Last time, he knocked you silly.”

Ike took the bottle with a silent nod before turning to his father.

Greil spoke, “Always take time to heal your wounds in a battle—even small ones. By the time you think you're in trouble, it's probably too late. Don't get into that situation.”

As Mist suggested, Ike took a swig of the vulnerary and his bruises started to fade within seconds. Feeling refreshed and ready to try again, Ike charged in.

This round was far more balanced, though Greil still expertly blocked every move. Time and time again, every attempt to hit Greil was easily blocked. At one point, after Ike made no progress for over 10 minutes, Greil let his guard down, and Ike took the opportunity to land a strike onto his collarbone.

“Ungh...”

Greil made a noise of pain, but didn’t collapse as Boyd had. As Ike withdrew his practice blade, Greil gave Ike a nod. Ike won.

Mist ran over, cheering, “Ike! You were great!”

Despite his victory, Ike was frowning. “Father, you were holding back, weren't you?”

“What? Is that true?” Mist replied with a shocked expression,

Greil tense expression broke into a satisfied smile, “If you could tell the difference, that means you're improving.”

Boyd cut in then, “You know, I wasn't really giving it my all either.”

Mist laughed, “That is such a lie.”

“Bah,” Boyd scoffed in return.

Ike then asked the one question he’d had stuck in his head the entire day. “So, Father, does that mean you finally admit that I'm ready?”

“What, to join the company? To take on a job?” Greil responded,

“Yeah. I mean, Boyd's already out there on the battlefield. I'm ready. I'm tired of being a trainee.”

Boyd took that as an opportunity to boast, “Listen, the difference between you and me is that I'm a professional.”

“A professional who just got beat,” Mist replyed, giggling,

“That was just random chance. Random chance.”

Greil interrupted Boyd and Mist’s conversation. “You've got a point, Ike. All right. Tomorrow will be your first day as a full-fledged mercenary.”

“Really? Ike responded, elated.

Before Ike’s excitement could get out of hand, Greil interjected, “But! If I think it's too much, you're back to trainee status. You'd better work hard.”

“No problem. Watch—I'll catch up to everyone in no time.” Ike responded with confidence,

Greil grinned at his son’s resolve, “We'll see. We'd better be heading back to the fort. Everyone's waiting. And with that, the four of them left the clearing to go base.

As the group entered their base, another group greeted them.

“Welcome back Commander Greil!”

The voice belonged to a fair-skinned, red-haired paladin, with a thick braid that fell almost down to her ankles; she was Titania: Greil’s second-in-command. A gentle smile was spread across her face when she saw Commander Greil.

Beside her were three other mercenaries: a kind eyed, green-haired lance cavalier with matching green armor; a cheery and confident blond knight with heavy blue armor; and a brooding sniper with his long, raspberry-red hair cleanly tied back into a high ponytail.

The other three, who were chatting amongst themselves, turned when they saw Greil.

“Hey Boyd! What took you so long?” The knight yelled,

“I thought the sun would melt us all before you’d get back,” The sniper complained,

“It’s too damn hot out here for us to wait outside in the burning sun for you to get Commander Greil.”

“Well, excuse me Shinon,” Boyd retorted, “Commander Greil asked me to help him with something that only I could have done.”

Shinon snorted, “Oh really, only you could have done it? What could it have been? Was it becoming a human practice dummy for Ike to–”

“Come on you two, let’s just get inside already. It’s too hot out here for bickering,” The green cavalier sighed,

“Oscar is right. Let's get inside and go to the briefing room so we can discuss the result of today’s work,” Titania ordered,

“Yes ma’am!” Three called out clearly, while another barely tried to make himself heard.

The knight felt a pair of eyes boreing into his skull. He turned to find Titania glaring back,

“What did I do?”

The knight called out to Titania as she continued to glare while Shinon gave a dry laugh. “Nothing Gatrie, except your incessant need to flirt, even on the job.” Shinon laughed.

Gatrie retorted, “But she was just—”

“Please, get inside,” Titania sighed, exacerbated,

“You two should also go. I need to discuss today’s affairs with Titania and the others,” Greil said,

“OK,” Ike and Mist replied in unison as they went off in their own directions.

Ike immediately went off to the bathhouse to bathe and wash his clothes, while Mist went off to the kitchen. On her way there, she met up with a young boy, who was a couple years younger than her, with light green hair.

“Mist, you’re back!”

“Hi, Rolf!” Mist relied cheerfully,

The young boy immediately fell into step with her,

“You’re going to prepare dinner?” Rolf questioned, 

“Yup,” Mist repied cheerily “Do you think you could give me a hand with getting ingredients and stuff?”

“Sure,” Rolf nodded, “Just let me know what you need.”

As Mist cooked, the two of them chatted,

“How’s your bow training going, Rolf?”

“I think I’m doing pretty well. Though he hasn’t had much time to teach me lately since everyone’s been so busy—” Rolf suddenly stopped himself went over to whisper to Mist, “Remember, it’s a secret he's is teaching me.”

“Oh, right. I forgot!” Mist quickly changed the subject, “I don’t see you very often with your brothers lately. Have they been swamped with work?”

“Yeah, Oscar and Boyd have been coming back pretty late recently. I’m glad they got back early today.”

“Speaking of Oscar, it’s been a long time since he’s cooked for everyone.”

“It has. I should ask him to cook for us when they have less work.”

The two of them continued to chat until the food was ready. Just as they started setting up the table, Ike came in.

“Mm. Do I smell what I think I smell?” Ike asked as he went to help set the table.

“Yup. We’re having chicken nuggets tonight.”Mist cheerfully replied, “I though it’s be good to make your favorite to celebrate you getting to go on your first job tomorrow.”

“Ha ha! Thanks Mist, you’re the best.”

“Just don’t get hurt out there, okay?” Mist requested,

“I won’t.” Ike replied casually,

Mist then left to call everyone to dinner, as Ike and Rolf sat down to eat. It was normal for everyone to eat on a first-come-first serve basis. As Ike and Rolf started eating, Mist came back, next came Greil followed by Titania and company.

“Is Rhys not joining us again today?”

Greil questioned Titania, “No,” She responded, “When I got back he was still feeling ill. I’ll be taking some food to him after since he was still asleep before I came.”

“At least he’s getting the rest he needs,” Oscar stated,

“That’s right,” Titania replied, “We all need a healthy healer on the field; we’re mercenaries after all and even the smallest lapse invites death.”

There was a grumble at this statement, likely from Shinon, before Ike changed the subject. “By the way, Father, have you heard anything new from Soren?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything since last week. But it seems he’s fine to me,”

“If he’s learning some new magic and tactics from the other group I’d say he’s doing fine,” Titania added,

“You two are so attached to each other,” Mist laughed,

“Well, obviously!” Ike rebuffed, “He’s my friend. Of course I’d want to know what he’s up to and how he’s doing.”

“But you always ask about him every time we sit down for dinner! It’s always one of the first things we talk about since he’s been away.” Mist complained in a jovial tone,

“You young pup. You should be looking for a nice lass instead of spending all your time worrying about Soren,” Gatrie stated,

Ike scowled slightly, something he rarely did, and turned his attention to getting more food. Gatrie, as usual, only had a mind for impressing girls, despite the fact that everyone knew that, serious or not, comments about relationships always bothered Ike.

But that evening, Shinon was feeling particularly spiteful to Ike, and decided to push the subject, “Shouldn’t you be looking for a girl at your age, Ike? You’re 17 already and you haven’t even kissed a girl!”

Trying to respond with as little irritation as possible, Ike sighed and said, “How many times do I have to say that I’ve never found anyone I’m interested in yet.”

“Maybe you should go into town tomorrow, find a cute girl, and enjoy your youth instead of trying to become a mercenary?” Shinon taunted,

This time Ike chose to ignore him and attempted to put all his attention into his food. Seeing Ike was determined to ignore him, Shinon continued.

“Maybe you should just go fuck Soren if you’re so interested in him!” Shinon practically spit the words out of his mouth; and that was all Ike, and everyone else, could take. Everyone around the table stared at Shinon, including Gatrie, from his words. Ike got up and took his food to his room; Mist and Rolf also quickly excused themselves, anticipating what was to come. Titania marched over and took Shinon’s canteen from him. It was empty, but reeked of alcohol. 

“To the barracks, now! And I don't want to see your face until you're sober in the morning.” Titania ordered,

Shinon obliged, with a laugh, and walked out of the dining hall.

“Honestly! Why did he go out and say that of all things?”

Titania exclaimed,

“No clue. I know he doesn’t like Ike, but I don’t know the reason or that it was…”

Gatrie trailed off, at a complete loss for words. Not that any of them wanted to hear anything more on the subject at that moment. This wasn't the first time Shinon had come in drunk and made crude comments at dinner. It was always hard to tell when Shinon was drunk. The rest of them ate the rest of their meals in silence before silently excusing themselves.

After he finished eating, Ike sat on his bed lost in thought. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Shinon said.

'Maybe you should just go fuck Soren if you’re so interested in him!'

He had known Soren for about ten years at this point, and the two of them were always close. But since Soren had been out, Ike found he couldn’t get his mind off of him.

No one knew how old Soren was, but he’d always been shorter than Ike. He had his red mark on his head that, when people saw, said he was a spirit charmer. Soren never spoke about his mark, stating he doesn’t know where it came from. All Ike and Soren knew it that despite not being a spirit charmer, he had some of the most terrifying magical ability anyone in the company had ever seen for someone so young.

His magic, it was always impressive to see him use it. Ike had no knack for magic, and no interest to try, but it always mesmerized him when Soren pulled out his Wind Tome and began chanting the spells in the Ancient language. Soren’s black robes would flutter in the wind he conjured up blades of air to cut down his opponents. As the winds blew, his raven-like hair would show all of its beautiful green highlights. He had this pale, porcelain skin and gorgeous garnet eyes and—

What was he doing? Why was he thinking like this? Again? Why?

Ike tried to put Soren out of his mind by thinking about the next day. It would be his first day being a part of the company: the Greil Mercenaries.


	2. The Battle Begins

That night Ike could hardly get to sleep. His mind kept drifting to the events of the previous day. His first day as a mercenary was tomorrow, no new letter from Soren for a week now, and especially the things Shinon had said. Shinon never did like Ike and always tried to provoke him. Everyone did find it strange how Ike never seemed to show attraction to anyone, especially as he was already 17. Ike was only very close to Greil, Mist, Titania, and especially Soren. Since Soren was away, Shinon had taken to making jokes about Ike and Soren, especially since he knew there wouldn't be an angry mage around ready to burn him alive. Eventually, Ike fell asleep.  

When Ike woke the next morning he went downstairs to greet everyone as he always had any other day. He first came across Titania, who was carefully examining plans strewn about the desk. When she heard Ike walk in room she looked up and cheerfully greeted him. “Good morning, Ike. Today’s your first day as a professional soldier, isn’t it?”

“Yeah and I’m ready to go.” Ike replied with a nod,

Just then, Greil walked into the room. He looked up from a couple of papers in his hands with a stern look on his face, “What you are is late. The others were suited up and ready at the break of dawn.”

Ike was taken slightly aback by this. He was only doing what he had always done. ‘I guess this is part of the job. Knowing what to do even if you’ve not been told,’ Ike thought to himself before replying, “Sorry. I’ll get up earlier from now on. So, what’s my first job?”

“I’m talking with Titania right now. Wait outside until we’re done.” Greil said before motioning to the door,

“Yes, sir.” and with that, Ike left the room. He was excited and nervous to find out about his first job, but he waited patiently to find out.

After Ike had left, Titania turned to Greil and said, “Very well, Commander Greil, shall we continue?”

“You were telling me about some bandits that needed taking care of, weren’t you?” Greil responded, moving to the table Titania was at.

Titania nodded as she went to shift some papers on the table, “Correct. The request comes from a nearby village.” She pointed out the village in question on the map laid out in front of them. “According to our reports, the bandits are not all that strong. I think it best if I ride out and take a look. I plan on taking Oscar and Boyd along with me.” 

After a moment of thought Greil replied, “Just the brothers?” He hummed as he considered Titania’s plan. “Go ahead and add Ike to your team. Shinon, Gatrie, and I can handle the other two jobs easily enough.”

Titania nodded before Greil continued, “Titania, I’m leaving Ike in your care. I’m trusting you to show him the ropes.”

“Understood, Commander.”

With plans settled, the two of them walked outside. Greil continued ahead to meet Shinon and Gatrie waiting outside the base while Titania turned her attention to helping Ike. “Come on, Ike. Let’s get you set up.”

Titania headed off to round up the brothers, Oscar and Boyd. Ike let out the pent up air he’d unknowingly held. “All right… My first job.”

Ike hurried to catch up with Titania who was talking with Oscar a short distance away from the stables. Oscar was leading a horse in each hand, both saddled and bridled. “Captain Titania. Preparations are complete, and I’m ready to go.”

“Impeccable timing. It’s nice to know we can always count on you to be at the ready, Oscar.” As Titania finished speaking, Boyd came running over, his arms filled with various weapons.

“Don’t forget about me! I’m ready for action!”

When Titania heard this she laughed a bit. “Is that so, Boyd? That’s a surprise.”

Boyd huffed back in response and shoved Titania’s axe and lance into her hands. “Ha! Not today it isn’t. As of today, I am going to be the absolute model of perfection. I need to set a good example for Ike!”

Ike shrugged at Boyd’s statement. “I’ll take your word for it.”

As Boyd was handing out the rest of the weapons he was carrying, Oscar decided chat with Ike a bit. Surely he was more nervous than he looked. “Your first campaign at last. I know you’ve wanted this for a while. Are you nervous, Ike?”

“I think I was more nervous last night. I could hardly sleep. This morning, I’m feeling pretty good. It’s the calm before the storm.”

“You should try to relax. You’re not going to be out there alone.” Oscar reassured,

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Titania interrupted their conversation. “Right. Everyone ready?” Titania mounted her horse and Oscar followed suit. “Let’s go,”

As the group walked off, Ike saw Mist and Rolf, playing together. When Mist saw Ike leaving, she went over to say goodbye and wish her brother good luck on his first mission. When she finished, the group set off.

As they traveled to the village of Caldea, the four of them were silent. All that could be heard were the clopping of hooves and the rustling of leaves. When the group reached their destination Titania signaled them to stop. Once they’d all stopped, she went around what she could of the perimeter of the village on foot before returning group. She when to her horse and pulled out a map and a small cloth pouch from her saddlebag. She laid the map of the ground and began pulling blue and red stones from the pouch and placing them on the map. When she finished she began explaining the battle plan.

“All right, let me explain what’s going on.”

“This is a map of Caldea. They’ve hired us to drive off some bandits.

Titania pointed to a cluster of blue stones. “We’re the blue stones here. The red stones are the bandits.” Titania looked up to ensure the team, particularly Ike, understood. “There aren’t many of them, but we can’t get careless.” Looking back down at the map, Titania pointed to a red stone with circle painted on it. “The one in front of the building up north is their leader. Our mission is to take him out and recapture that building.” Looking up she continues her plans. “Ike, I want you to stay a short distance away from me and finish off any bandits who slip by and try to damage houses or hurt villagers. From that position you’ll still be able to fall back in case something happens.”

Ike nodded and Titania said in a more serious tone, “Remember, there’s no shame in falling back. We’re mercenaries after all and even the smallest lapse invites death.”

Ike nodded again, more contemplative than the last, as Titania moved on. “Oscar, I want you to help any villagers you see. If the battle around them gets too intense I want you to rescue them as far away from the battle as possible.” A quick thumbs up was all she needed to know to continue.

“Boyd, I need you to catch any bandits trying to kill the villager Oscar rescues or slip by Ike and are going off to find reinforcements.” When Boyd hear this he started to retort. “Why am I not working with Ike? I thought I was the one who—“Titania shot Boyd a stern look before finishing her plans. “And I will be the spearhead for this mission and also take out their leader. Any questions?”

“No ma’am!”

“Then let’s get going.”

She gathered up her things and put them back in her saddlebag before mounting her horse again. The group slowly approached the village, taking care not to make too much noise. When they neared the first house there were no bandits in sight. Titania signaled the group to move forward. Luckily, the first bandit the did find had their back turned towards them. Before going in for the kill, Titania gave Ike a “get ready” look, before charging in with her lance and piercing through the bandit’s ribcage and into his lung. As Titania twisted her lance to pull it back out the bandit screamed, alerting the entire group. A loud voice echoed throughout the village.

“A mercenary group. Get em’ boys! Hurt ‘em, and hurt ‘em bad! Tear the houses down! That’ll teach ‘em!” The bandit leader yelled.

At this, the bandits yelled out a battle cry, preparing weapons and torches.

“Let’s go, Ike!” Titania shouted before charging ahead.

As Ike ran to keep Titania in sight, he saw the bandit she stabbed. He was whithing on the ground screaming bloody murder and blood practically shooting out of his body. There wasn’t much time to sit and think on it though as Ike turned his attention to killing any bandits who managed to slip past. For some reason, the fire and chaos gave Ike déjà vu, though Ike was sure he never could have seen something like this. But right now there was no time to question it. He just had to focus on the task Titania had given him.

Eventually, the pair of them made their way to the bandit leader. Titania was the first to confront him.

“You looking for something, fool woman? You looking for a fight? Heh heh... You came to the right place. I'll fuck you up!”

Titania came galloping in a top speed. She took aim with her lance and went clean through the bandit’s left shoulder. “Ike, finish him!” She yelled as she rode on.

Ike ran up to confront him. When the bandit leader got a better look at Ike, he taunted him. “Hey, you're nothing but a boy. Well, every brat needs a beating now and then. Are you ready for it?”

“Not today. If you want to run away, now's your chance.” Ike replied calmly, as if it were the most natural thing to say.

The bandit leader laughed, “Imagine that, you sassing me. Don't that beat all?”

Ike, knowing there was no use in trying to save a person who speaks like that, came down with a clean cut across the bandit’s body. Before the bandit even had a chance to retaliate, Ike stabbed into his chest and the bandit collapsed in a pool of his own blood, slowly reaching his end.

Ike was covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, as was Titania and her horse when they rode over. With a solemn expression, she quietly retrieved her lance.

Just then, Oscar rode over, wearing the same expression as Titania. “I did a sweep of the village. All the bandits have left.”

She sighed before brushing herself off and responding, “Good. Let’s tell the villagers the good news!”

It was then that Boyd finally caught up. “Wait, seriously? I come all this way only to have to turn around? Really? Gee thanks, Captain.”

Everyone laughed, including Boyd, at Boyd’s over-exaggerated exasperation, though he wasn’t entirely joking either. But the gesture was enough to lift their sprits.

The group made their way to the village elder and Titania reported the good news. “Your village is safe now. You can all return home. “

The crowd rejoiced at the news. The four mercenaries looked at each other with a silent satisfaction at a job well done. After Titania had received payment, the two groups parted ways.

As they were leaving the village Boyd spoke up. “Hey, Ike! That wasn't bad for your first battle. Not as flashy as my first time, though!

“Yeah, you were a real standout. I'll never forget the sight of you so keyed up you broke your own axe.”

“Oscar! Dang it! You didn't have to bring that up!”

Oscar just laughed and continued, “Anyway, Ike. Congrats on finishing your first mission. Welcome to the group.”

Ike gave a nod of acknowledgement before Titania spoke, “Now let's get going. I'm sure Mist has a nice, hot meal waiting for us.”

When they reached base, Boyd ran off to the barracks to put his axe away and change, while Titania and Oscar went to bring their horses to the stables. Ike continued on alone to the dining hall. When Ike walked into the kitchen his father was helping Mist pull a large roast from the oven. Before Greil had even set it on the counter Mist ran over to greet Ike, “Ike! Welcome home! How did everything go?”

“I guess it went alright. Everything turned out in the end,”

Greil set the roast down and was walking over, “I’m glad to hear that. We can talk in more detail over dinner. You should go clean up a bit since Mist still needs to put the food out and set the table.”

“Okay,” Ike went put away his sword and changed his clothes before returning to the dinning hall. Mist had just come in from calling everyone in to dinner so she and Ike went to their normal spots on either side of the head of the table, where Greil always sat. When his father came in, Ike shared the events of his first mission Greil and Mist.

“You know, father, I was surprised at how easy it was to block them and counter. I was expecting it to be more difficult.”

As Ike continued to speak between large bites of meat, a smile crept its way onto Greil’s face. His smile showed his pride, but hid his worry. His worry about who Ike would become.


	3. Rescue

Dawn had just passed, but there were two people already awake at the Greil Mercenaries’ base: Greil and Titania. They were going into town to receive new jobs and to restock supplies. When breakfast time came, the mercenaries all ate quickly to get ready for the day, as Greil being out meant it was maintenance day. As each mercenary finished, they went into the armory, picked up their weapons and armor, and found somewhere comfortable to begin cleaning and polishing their belongings.

Rhys, who had nothing except a heal staff, decided to go out for a walk after while the rest of the company cleaned. On his way back into base, a man walked up to him and said,

“Give this to the red-tressed knight.”

It’s not often the mercenaries get thank-you letters from clients, but this was one of the rare few. Rhys thanked the man for the letter and quickly went to deliver it. When he returned, he saw one set of horseshoe tracks on the ground, meaning Titania had returned with supplies. Rhys immediately went to check the stables, and found her brushing her horse.

“Good morning, Titania.”

Titania turned, startled by Rhys’s voice, “Rhys! Are you sure you’re well enough to be walking the grounds?”

“Yes. My fever’s completely gone,” Rhys reassured, but Titania still wore a concerned expression.

“Are you sure? You still look a bit unsteady on your feet if you ask me.”

“Well, I’ve been in bed for a week. I doubt anyone would be in top form—even you my friend!”

Titania sighed slightly before replying, “I certainly hope that’s all it is. In any case, until you’re back at full speed, you won’t be doing any work. We’re mercenaries after all and…”

“’Even the smallest lapse invites death.’ Right? I know, I know. My apologies to the rest of the team, then. It looks like I’ll be recuperating for a while longer,” Rhys sighed as Titania nodded her approval, “It’s for the best. Take your time and get fully rested and restored. You are our sole staff wielder, Rhys. The harder our work, the more we depend on you to be at our sides,”

“Thank you for your kind words,”

Titania changed the subject, “Oh, by the way, that paper you’ve been carrying around, is it a letter? I’d intended to go into town this afternoon. I can deliver it for you if you like,”

Rhys had almost forgotten about the letter. He shook his head and quickly clarified, “Oh, no. This letter is for you, Titania.”

“For me?” Titania replied.

Rhys nodded, “Not more than a little while ago, I went out for a walk around the yard and a man I’ve never seen before came up to me and said, ’Give this to the red-tressed knight,’.”

“How curious…” She left her horse’s side and walked over to retrieve the letter, “I wonder what it is,”

As she was opening the letter Rhys replied, “I imagine it’s a thank-you letter from the people of Caldea or something to that effect.”

Her face became more serious as she read. “Oh, no! How dare they!?”

Rhys was startled by Titania’s sudden reaction. “Titania? What’s the matter? What did the letter say?”

Titania stood without saying a word. She stood there, grip tight on the paper. Eventually she replied to Rhys’s question. “Rhys! Take this letter to Oscar, and tell him to prepare for combat and wait for me! I have to go out for a moment.”

Pulling a saddle and bridle off the wall, she hurriedly began preparing her horse.

“Uh, but, Titania?”

“I’ll be right back! I’m counting on you!” She then mounted her horse and rode away while Rhys stood there dumbfounded.

“What on earth could that letter have said?”

Titania was in such a hurry she had forgotten to hand the letter back to Rhys. It lay there on the ground, surrounded by the dust kicked up by her horse. As Rhys leaned down to pick it up, he couldn’t help but read part of it.

_We have the brats_

_Come to our base in Bazba Pass_

_Make sure to be there Red_

_Bring your lackeys too_

_You have until tonight before we kill them_

Rhys gasped in horror and ran into the armory, where he hoped Oscar would still be. When he reached the armory he yelled. “Everyone! Come quickly!”

The brothers put their projects down and went to Rhys. Boyd ran up first, with Oscar not too far behind. Boyd responded first. “Hey, Rhys. So, how are you feeling?”

Oscar soon caught up with Boyd, “What is it? Why are you so agitated?”

Ike then poked his head out from the storage room, puzzled, “Has something happened?”

“It’s Mist and Rolf… They, they’ve been taken by bandits!”

“What?!?” Boyd yelled, as Ike stood there, confused, “What are you talking about?”

Oscar then spoke up, “The two of them went out early this morning to gather wildflowers. Sure, they’re not back yet but…”

“Earlier, by the gate… a man asked me to deliver a letter to Titania. It was from a group of bandits—kidnapers,

For a few moments everyone stood there in shocked silence before Rhys spoke again, “What are we going to do?”

“Let me see it.” Rhys handed the letter to Oscar.

Rhys’s panic gave way to regret. Rhys sat down on, or rather fell into, a nearby chair and held his head in his hands. “Oh, if only I’d known… He didn’t seem like a bad person…”

Oscar finally looked up from the letter. “I get it. They’re after revenge. They want retribution for the other say at that village… Caldea, was it? Taking children as hostages? What cowards!”

It was at that moment that Ike could stand by no longer.

“Damn it!” He slammed a fist on a table, grabbed his half-cleaned sword and ran off. Boyd was running to catch up with him. “Wait, Ike! Where… Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to get Mist!” Ike called over his shoulder. Rhys snapped out of his gloom and stood up in a panic,

“But… No! Titania… She said she’d be right back. You’re supposed to get ready and wait for her…” Rhys trailed off as Ike stopped running and turned around. “And do you honestly think we’ve got time to wait? I’m going!”

As Ike continued to run off, Boyd followed. “What do you think you’re going to do on your own, rookie? Hold it! I’m going, too!”

Flustered, Rhys stood there unsure of what to do. “Stop! Both of you! I… I’m going with you.”

And as Rhys took off to join the group Oscar was left standing in the middle of the room. “Oh, c’mon! Wait! This is crazy! Do you think you can just ignore the deputy commander’s orders?” Oscar sighed before joining the rest of the group.

‘I’m not sure if I should be grateful or fearful that Commander Greil isn’t here…’ Oscar thought to himself.

The group of three ran out of the base, far down the road. Ike, who had pulled far ahead of the other two, stopped when they reached a fork in the road.  “The road forks here…”

Boyd stopped next to Ike.

“Well, which way do we go?” Boyd questioned.

“How am I supposed to know that?” Ike replied exacerbated,

“Hold it!” Boyd yelled “Are you saying you don’t know where we’re going?”

Neither of them had read the letter, and both were clueless as to where they should go. Ike looked around to see if he could find anything to give him some idea, even a small one, on where his sister might be.

Boyd threw his hands up in the air, “Unbelievable! You’d better learn to think before you act, you fucking moron!”

“Shut up, Boyd!” Ike yelled back.

“You think you can fucking make me? Come on!”

“B-both of you, this is no time to be fighting,” Rhys caught up with the two of them, out of breath, with no clue as to why the two were arguing.

“I figured we’d find you like this,” Just behind Rhys, Oscar had caught up with the group.

Boyd turned his anger to Rhys and his brother, “What are you two doing? So you’re coming after all? It’s not like you two chambermaids to be disobeying orders. Has hell finally frozen over?”

Ignoring Boyd’s crude remark, Ike turned to the only person who could get them out of this mess. “Oscar, you know this road, don’t you? Which way do we go?”

“The bandit stronghold, right? It’s the left fork,” Oscar quickly replied,

“Got it!” And Ike was off.

Boyd, realizing he was being ignored, yelled, “Hey, what the hell! I’m still taking here! Let me finish what I—“

“Come on, Oscar. Let’s go, too!” Rhys spoke,

Oscar just sighed in response, “I guess we’ve no choice,”

And with that Boyd was left on his own with the other three leaving him far behind.

“Uh… Hey! You’re not leaving me behind!”

They group finally reached the bandits’ hideout. A they group ran up within view of the hideout a sole bandit came out, and yelled down from a ledge near the hideout.  “So you came, did you, boys?”

The group stopped a distance away from the ledge.

“Is it just you, then? You came alone? You seriously underestimate what we’re capable of doing to you. Now, where’s that shitty, red-haired bitch you ride with?”

Ike was the first to talk back. “Titania’s not here. It’s just us. All I want to know right now is whether Mist and Rolf are safe.”

“Yeah, of course. We’ve got ‘em locked up safe and sound in that little shack back there. We got no problem with those brats. What we’re after is a little revenge. We want the redhead and her pups. And that’d be you boys,”

This time it was Boyd’s turn to yell. “Then hurry up and let those two go! We’re here, aren’t we? You’ve got no more reason to hold them.”

The bandit smirked. “You’re here, but Red ain’t. We’ll just keep the brats until she arrives.”

“Damn it!” Ike muttered before the bandit continued,

“If you’re so impatient, I guess we can start by killing you shitheads. You all ready to die?” The bandit then raised his axe into the air. “Hey! Come on out! It’s time to play, lads!”

Bandits came pouring out from the forest. The area was flooded with bandits, all rushing towards the group. The bandit leader laughed. “Take ‘em, lads! Without the red-haired knight, they’re no match for us!”

“What did you say, motherfucker?” Boyd yelled in retort.

Ike raised his sword and made his own reply. “We’ll make you regret those words!”

Though threats had been given, Ike and company had no time to deal with the bandit leader as he moved away from the main battle to let his minions do his dirty work. The bandits came running out to attack as Ike and Boyd ran to meet their opponents. The two of them made their way through any bandits who challenged them while Oscar covered the rear. It seemed, though, that there was no end to the onslaught of bandits attacking them. Rhys healed the three whenever possible, but fatigue was not something a Heal Staff could completely cure. As the small group was beginning to be overwhelmed, a red and white horseman rode in from the forest. With a swift motion, she killed bandit after bandit.

“Go!” Titania ordered to Ike and Boyd. The two of them quickly ran through the clearing she’d created in their opponents’ defenses. Oscar, Rhys, and Titania all stayed behind to clear the remaining bandits. Up ahead were two, much stronger, bandits and their leader. Ike and Boyd each took the first bandit to approach them. In a one-on-one, Ike and Boyd would be able to win, but unfortunately for Boyd, the enemy didn’t care for fair duels. The bandit leader teamed up against Boyd to try and take him down.

A clean cut to the arm left Boyd reeling. With his left arm incapacitated, Boyd took up a defensive position. Ike was finishing off his opponent when he saw Titania bounding in on her horse. A lance impaled her first target and an axe swipe quickly dispatched the second.

Once Ike saw the last bandit fall, Ike ran to the shack were Mist and Rolf were being held. When he reached it the door was locked. Tired and frustrated, Ike kicked down the door. “Mist! Rolf!”

“Ike!” Mist and Rolf cried out in unison. They were overjoyed to know that they were finally safe.

“See? Didn’t I tell you Ike would come and get us?” Mist said, rather smugly, to Rolf. Rolf’s only reply was to nod and start crying, clearly not for the first time that day. The two of them had their hands bound and were tied to a beam in the middle of the room. Ike ran over to help Mist as the others all came running in. Oscar went over to help untie Rolf.

“Are you two all right? They didn’t do anything to you did they?” Titania asked,

“Nope. Were both fine, well, other than the ropes,” Mist replied cheerfully,

“How you can be so cheerful is beyond me,” Rhys sighed. Despite him not fighting anyone, he was clearly the most physically and emotionally drained.

“Well I was scared, but I was right! Ike and the others did come to save us!” Mist cheered as her brother finally finished untying the ropes and hugged him.

“Well obviously we were able to save you two. We were just better than them!” Boyd boasted,

“Boyd, calm yourself,” Titania chided,

“What you did was in direct defiance of the orders I explicitly gave you. The fact that it worked out is another issue altogether.”

“Deputy Commander, I take full responsibility. The failure is mine,” Oscar apologized,

“Accept our apologies,” Rhys followed, head bowed.

“Oscar, Rhys… What am I supposed to do with you two?” Titania sighed heavily before continuing. “I think I’ll leave you two to the commander. He’ll know how to handle you, I’m sure. Now, let’s get out of here.”

The group filed out, one-by-one, with Mist and Rolf taking up the rear. Just as Mist and Rolf were about to leave the building, a bandit jumped out from the bushes, blocking the exit. Mist screamed as the bandit grabbed her from behind and put his axe to her throat. Rolf, stunned, backed away, tears welling up in his eyes.

“If you want these two alive, you’ll throw your weapons down. If you don’t, I’ll start with the girl…”

“Move that blade an inch closer and I’ll see you dead!” Ike yelled, sword at the ready,

“Wait!” Titania ordered, “I’m putting down my weapons. See?”

“Heh… heh heh. Smart move, bitch!” The bandit laughed.

“We’re here to save them. Now all of you back off,” Titania quietly reminded.

The others began to put down their weapons in angered silence. When they had set down all of their weapons, the lone bandit began laughing, almost hysterically. “All right, so now you’re all unarmed… Which means all you can do is watch while I gut this whiny bitch like a swine!”

“No!” Ike screamed in terror. But just as the sound left Ike’s lips, the bandit’s arm went limp. The bandit slowly slumped over Mist, and she scurried away to Ike.

“This guy’s dead. That arrow— who shot it?” Ike wondered aloud,

“A single arrow, right between the eyes? Who else could make a shot like that? No one, that’s who!”

Shinon jumped down from a tree, some distance away.

“How did— when—?” Ike stammered,

While Ike was trying to put the pieces together, Rhys spoke, “So that’s where you went, Titania?”

“Of course. I knew we’d need reinforcements. I’m glad it wasn’t a waste of time,”

Just then heavy footsteps and the clatter of armor came into earshot as Gatrie came stumbling out of the forest. “Deputy Commander… Shinon… hah… hah… You’re both so cruel. With this armor on, you know I can’t run that fast…”

Ignoring Gatrie’s complaining, Shinon spoke, “Don’t you children owe me a little gratitude? I did just save your lives.”

Titania wanted to roll her eyes at Shinon’s boasting but chose to ignore it.

“Well done, Shinon, Gatrie,” Titania commended,

“In the end, I got to feather someone. So it was worth the rush,” Shinon shrugged with a bored expression,

“All I… did… was sweat… That… was h-hard… work…” Gatrie panted,

“All right, come on! Let’s head for home,” Titania ordered,

Quietly she commented to herself, “My goodness… What a day this has been.”

On the way back Ike chatted with Mist, “You know, I was surprised when I burst in and didn’t see you sobbing and nose-running.”

“You jerk! I… My nose does not run!” Mist retorted,

The group laughed at the friendly teasing Ike gave Mist, and the banter continued until they reached the base. As the base came into view the group fell silent. Shinon and Gatrie said their goodbyes and went off to the barracks while the remaining group stopped outside of the main building.

“I’m going to speak with Commander Greil. It’s too late to discuss the matter now, so I expect all of you to be here early and prepared for tomorrow’s work,” Titania said,

“Yes ma’am,”

And the group silently walked off to the barracks.


	4. Pirates Aground

Ike didn’t sleep as well as he normally did. He was too busy thinking about the day’s events. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t considered how his actions would have put Mist and Rolf in so much danger. It was thanks to Titania that everything worked out in the end.

It was at times like this, when he was mulling over his mistakes, that Ike wished Soren were here. Soren was always there to lend Ike an ear and give Ike new perspectives on any situation. It was strange for Ike, and likely Soren as well to be so far apart, especially since the two of them were good friends.

As Ike lay there awake, there was a knock at his door. He sat up and said,

“Come in,” Ike whispered before Mist quietly entered the room. “What’s wrong, Mist? Can’t sleep?”

“Well, I came because I thought you’d be the one who’d have trouble sleeping. I wanted to let you know that I’m really thankful that you came to save us; even if you’d gone against Titania’s orders,”

Ike smiled slightly at this, even if she didn’t fully understand why their father had taken issue with his actions.

“Thank you, Mist. It’s nice to hear it,”

“No problem, Ike. Sleep well,”

And with that, Mist left.

Even if Soren wasn’t around, Ike always had his sister. The two of them could always count on the other for support.

With his mind now put at ease, Ike was finally able to get some sleep.

The next morning Ike rose early and dressed for the day’s work before going to meet with his father. He wasn’t the first up, that was always Rhys or Titania, but he certainly wasn’t the last. When he made his way to the briefing room, the door was left open. Ike walked in, quietly closing the door without turning his back to his father.

“You wanted to see me, Father?”

Greil looked over from some paperwork when he hear his voice, “Sit down, Ike,” gesturing to a nearby chair.

Ike quietly sat where he was requested to.

“We haven't had a chance to speak yet. Titania told me what happened while I was gone... About the kidnappings,”

Before Greil could finish, Ike spoke up, “I take responsibility for my actions. I'm ready to accept my punishment.”

Just then, Boyd barged into the room, clearly having just finished dressing, followed by Rhys, Oscar, and Mist. Boyd was the first to speak up, “No fair playing the martyr! Nobody made me go with you. I left of my own free will! I'm ready to accept my punishment, too! Wait, what am I saying?”

“Please, Commander Greil! Titania entrusted me with her orders. If anyone's to blame for this mess, it's me. I'm the one who should be punished...” Rhys added.

“I set a poor example, Commander Greil. Any punishment should be mine alone.” Oscar requested,

Greil stared at the group and sighed, “Regardless of your reasons, you disobeyed the orders of a superior officer. You are confined to quarters for ten days.”

“But, Father! They did what they did to help me and Rolf!” Mist retorted,

“Rules exist for a reason, Mist. Men won't survive on a battlefield if they do as the, wish without so much as a by-your-leave.” Greil replied in an even tone,

“...I understand. And accept the reprimand,” Ike spoke up, head bowed.

“I'm pleased to see that you are willing to shield one another. However, regardless of your reasons, you disobeyed the orders of a superior officer. You are confined to quarters for ten days.”

The entire group immediately became downtrodden, but Greil spoke again, “That being said, we've got more work than we can handle. Your punishment is deferred until things calm down.” Greil stood up and said, “Oscar, Boyd, Rhys. You come with me.”

As the group Greil made walked out of the room, Ike got up, usure of what to do. He and Mist looked at eachother as if to say ‘now what?’. Though they didn’t have to wait long. Titania came in with Shinon and Gatrie.

“Ike. You're with me,” Titania said,

And the group silently left to room.

Shinon was always quiet on missions, which was a bit surprising to Ike. All Ike knew of Shinon was that he enjoyed making Ike and the other Greil Mercenaries uncomfortable or upset. The only reason Greil kept him around is because he’s as good at archery as he claims.

Gatrie on the other hand did know when to act professional and didn’t make much conversation with anyone in the group.

When the group reached the town, the mayor came out to greet them. “Oh, Titania! It’s good to see you’ve come to help us!”

“Yes,” Titania replied, “That's the pirate ship in question, isn't it?” she said, looking over at the docks.

“Aye. They sailed into port a few days ago and have been causing trouble ever since. I pray that you and your companions can drive them away.”

“I understand,” Titania responded with a nod, “We'll do all we can.”

As the mayor hobbled off, Shinon began stretching out this hands and arms. “Feathering sea scum is like shooting apples off a tree. Let's do the job and get out of here.”

Gatrie came over to Titania, lance lazily resting on his shoulder. “Ho, Deputy Commander! You want standard thunder and lightning maneuvers here?”

At this Ike cocked his head in confusion, “Er...Thunder and lightning?”

“ Yeah! I crash into 'em like thunder, and Shinon rains arrows down on 'em like lightning!” Gatrie replied, showing off his lance skills in and overly complex display as he spoke.

Titania just shrugged and said, ”Sounds good.”

As Ike stared at the much more experienced members fall into a usual preparation routine, he spoke up, “What should I do? “

Titania humed as she mused Ike’s role in the mission, “Let's hold back and let Shinon and Gatrie soften them up. Once they've whittled down the numbers, we'll all rush the ship and wipe out whatever's left.”

“Alright,” Ike replied.

As Titania, Shinon, and Gatrie went to finallize battle tactics, Ike was approached by a merchant with a red mark on his forehead, similar to Soren’s.

“This town seems quite unruly, wouldn't you say? Is it always this dangerous?”

Ike shook his head, “No, not that I know of. It seems there are pirates causing trouble for the townsfolk. We’ve been hired to take them out.”

“Oh...So it's plagued by pirates, is it? I see. That would explain why the people here seem so anxious.” The stranger paused looking Ike over, “You seem so very...young. And you claim you were hired to rid the town of these pesky pirates?” the stranger reached into his bag, “Here, perhaps you should take this. It might help you if you run into trouble contending with the pirates.” The merchant handed Ike a blue bottle. It was a rare healing item the Greil Mercenaries seldom bought, an lixir. “But do hurry. I came all this way to see the world-famous fish market, and I'll never do so with those ruffians around. Best of luck to you.” And the merchant took off to a nearby inn to wait out the fight.

Ike stared at the merchant as we left, then turned his attention to the bottle. It was incredibly generous for someone to just hand one of these over. They were able to heal almost any type of injury in a matter of seconds.

A shout pulled Ike from his thought, and he knew it was time to get to work. He tied the elixir to his belt and ran over to the group.

“Ike, here’s the plan,” Titania began, “Gatrie and Shinon will charge the ship and prevent them from escaping. You and I will take out anyone who manages to sneak past. Once there are no stragglers left on land, we make our way to the ship and help finish off anyone who’s left on the ship.”

“Ok,” Ike replied before Shinon scoffed,

“Yeah, just try not to get in our way young pup. You’ve got a lot left to go and I’m way ahead of you.”

“Cut him some slack, he’s just started!” Gatrie said, “Plus he’s Greils son, so he’s at least not going to be a burden to us, right Titania?”

“You’re right. He’s been very helpful” Titania said speaking with a stern tone directed at Shinon’s attempts to once again provoke a competition between himself and Ike.

“Are you all ready? Greil Mercenaries, move out!”

And with that Gatrie was off, charging at top speed towards the ship. Shinon was close behind, firing arrows as he went.

Just as Titania said, there were a few stragglers, which she quickly finished off.

As all of this was going on, Ike was just running to keep pace. The others quickly settled into their usually strategy and were executing it with ease, while Ike just ran, looking for some was to help.

Among the din of metal clashing and battle cries on the ship, Ike heard a voice of a girl he hadn’t heard before, and one who clearly wasn’t an enemy.

“Hey! You! Boat monkey! You tricked me, didn't you?”

As Ike kept running, the person yelling came into view. A girl with short pink hair and red armor, riding a white pegasus. She was arguing with the captain and his right hand.

“Tricked ye?” the captain replied, “What a vile and nasty thing that is to be sayin'. Don't ye agree, matey?”

“Yar, that I do! There be nothing but honest pirates aboard this ship, missy.”

The girl spoke up again, “You said you knew the whereabouts of my older brother. That's why I came all the way to your ship.”

“Aye, and we do know! He was on board for a while, and then...Do ye recall where he went, matey?” The captain asked,

“Yar, that I do. He was a penniless oaf, so we tossed his worthless carcass into the rolling waves. Yar har ho!”

The girl’s face when pale, “My... My brother? That's horrid!”

“Horrid? Did ye say horrid?” The pirate hand laughed, “Yer scurvy brother was the horrid one! He lost a game o' chance, he did. If ye lose, ye must pay...And the scallywag tried to cheat me! By Shanty Pete he did!”

“Arr, calm yerself, me hearty!” The captain ordered

“Yar!...Yar?...Yar.”

“After all, his darling sister's come to pay us a visit. What say ye work off yer brother's debt?”

“What say I run you through with my lance and call it a day?!” The girl shot back,

“Yo ho har! It matters not that ye be a pegasus knight, lassie.” The pirate hand retorted,

“A wee minnow like yerself is no match for us sea dogs! Prepare yourself, ye flying wench!” The captain yelled,

The girl scoffed at the idea. “I'm not afraid of you, clambake! If your axe is as dull as your wit, this will be over in no time!”

As their weapons began to clash, Ike tried to find a way to get to her. There were still too many pirates to board the ship where they’d laid their ramp, but there was one other option Ike could see.

“Shinon! I need you to shoot down some guys on the left!” Ike shouted,

“I need you to see I’m busy here!” Shinon yelled back.

“I can take out their captain if you do and end this quick! Just do it!”

“Wait. Ike has a good idea,” Titania said as she rode over, “Shinon, shoot them down!”

With a grumble Shinon lined up his shots and the pirates fell one by one.

“Thanks!” Ike yelled as he ran towards the ship. He grabbed hold of the ropes that were tying the ship to the dock and climbed his way up.

When he reached the ship he saw he was in for a though fight. There were pirates swarming all over the ship. Most were too preoccupied with Gatrie to notice Ike board, but the ones who saw were more that were ready to take him down.

Ike rarely ever trained with more than just his father, and finding a way to deal with the attacks coming from all sided was daunting. With every push forward he made there was a blade to meet his skin. But as he struggled forward towards the pegasus knight, he found that despite never training with so many opponents he knew what to do. Slowly, he found himself moving from strike to strike near effortlessly. Before he knew it, he’d reached the girl. She was covered in injuries, large and small.  She was talking to herself as she fought.

“Oh, crackers! There's too many of them. I don't want to die here...Brother...this might be the end!” She slipped off her pegasus and collapsed on the ground.

“Hey! Are you all right?” Ike yelled as he rushed to help her. He pulled her up onto his lap. She had cuts and bruised anywhere without armor and she was losing a lot of blood. As Ike wracked his brains on what to, he remembered the elixir he’d received in town. He pulled out the cork and brought the bottle to her lips. Soon after, the girl began to wake up,

“...So cold...So...Huh?”

“Don't give up!” Ike yelled to her.

“Wh-who are you?” She asked, confused.

“I'm a mercenary. The villagers hired us to get rid of these pirates,” Ike replied,

“Are you...Are you going to help me?” she asked,

“Of course.” Ike reassured. “Let me and my companions take it from here. You can escape while the pirates are distracted,”

“Oh, hey, that would be fantastic! Thanks so much! I don't know what to say,” She  said as she got up,

“You don't have to say anything. It's all in a day's work,” Ike replied with a smile,

“Pshaw! You're helping me out! I should show my gratitude somehow,” She replied with a blush,

“That's...nice, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head. Just get yourself somewhere safe, please,” Ike requested,

“Well then...I'll come talk to you about repaying my debt later. What's your name, handsome?”

“Um... I'm Ike. I'm with the Greil Mercenaries,” he replied with a bit of confusion in his voice.

“Ike! Got it! And I am Marcia, a pegasus knight of Begnion. Don't forget me! All right, I'll be seeing you later!” She said as he hopped on her pegasus and left.

Once Marcia had left, Ike set of to find the captain, but not before taking some of the elixir himself before facing off with new opponents. At this point there weren’t many pirates left he was on the ship. Only a couple stood in his way before he found the captain. He was sitting In a chair near the wheel, looking over the battle. As Ike approached, he laughed.

“Yahar har harrr! Yer bustin' me gut, ye rudderless fool! Do ya truly think ye can face me mighty axe and live?”

“I’ll make sure you won’t live after what you did to Marcia’s brother!” Ike yelled as he charged in, sword at the ready.

The captain wasn’t as powerful as Ike anticipated. His movements were so easy to see, every strike was telegraphed. It felt as if no time had passed before he found his sword impaled in his chest, pinning him to the boat as he took his final breath.

When the other pirates saw their leader dead, they abandoned their fight against Gatrie and Shinon as they fled back onto the boat to try and escape. As they scrambled onboard, Ike slipped unnoticed through the crowd.

As Ike rejoined the group, they all watched silently as the pirates hurriedly prepared their ship and set sail.

Once they could no longer see the pirates on the horizon all of them sighed. The first to break the silence was Titania, “Good work, everyone. Let’s go and report to the mayor.”

“We've driven off all the pirates. Your people will suffer no more indignities at their hands,” Titania said,

“Oh! That is joyful news!” The mayor cheered, “Here is your pay, as promised.”

“Thank you very much. And if you find yourself in need again, do not hesitate to send word.”

“Of course, of course. All of you put on a most marvelous show—such combat skills! To be honest,I was expecting Commander Greil to be here today. When I saw just you, nothing more than, no offense, a band of children...Well, I will admit to being a tad nervous!”

“I apologize for troubling you. Unfortunately, Commander Greil had other pressing matters to attend to.”  

“Oh, no. Don't apologize. There's no need. After all, you got rid of those brigands, and you did it impeccably well!” the mayor cheered,

“It's a fine compliment you pay, sir, but it was our pleasure,” Titania thanked,

“ As a matter of fact, you're more than good enough to be in the royal army if you so desired. Especially your Commander Greil. He's far and away better than most any general I've seen hereabouts. Er... What I mean to say is...Don't you think running off pirates is a bit...beneath you?” the mayor questioned,

“That's not—“  

“Don't get me wrong, now. You certainly helped all of us simple folk out. Even so, it seems to me the proper place for you and your Commander Greil is in the service of the Crimean throne! Well, that's what this old man thinks.”

“We—and Commander Greil—are quite satisfied with the work we do now,” Titania quickly responed,

The mayor laughed, “You've nary a selfish bone among you. Well then, rest assured we'll speak again if any problems arise. Thank you again.”

As they walked off, Titania was lost in though.

“Titania? Is something amiss?” Ike asked,

“No, of course not,” Titania quickly replied. “Our mission is complete, and that's all that matters. You did well today, every one of you.”

Shinon scoffed at this, “Pah! Jobs like this barely make a dent in my incurable boredom! It's like that old buzzard said, there's better work out there. Something with a bit of challenge.”

“Shinon!” Titania yelled,

“I'm joking. J-O-K-ing.” Shinon replied in an annoyed tone, though it was hard to believe that somewhere in his heart he didn’t believe what he said.

“Come, Titania,” Gatrie said, “Be honest. Don't you find the work we do to be a bit...disheartening? Unglamorous?”

“What? You too, Gatrie? What's gotten into you?”

“Please! Look, we're not a band of money-hungry recruits. We're professionals, and we're very good at what we do. Shinon and I have discussed this at length. All of this mundane mercenary work is unworthy of us. We're wasting our talents.”

Titania stopped walking and the group turned to face her, “I see,” she said angrily, “You're telling me that you think Commander Greil is mismanaging us. Do I have that right?”

“Whoa! Hold it right there! That's not what I'm saying at all!”

Ike, who’d been lagging slightly behind, caught up then, “What is it, Titania?”

“What's what?” She replied, in a harsher tone than she’d intended.

“ You seem so angry. It's not like you,” Ike said as Titania only huffed in response,

“Exactly! Ike's got the right of it!” Gatrie agreed,

“It's just that I...Look, we do good work, and we help people. I want you to be proud of that. I felt like you were saying work that doesn't bring fame and fortune isn't worth doing, that's all. Sorry.”

Gatrie shook his head, “No...you're right. We are the ones who ought to apologize.”

Tired of the atmosphere that was building, Titania spoke before anyone could continue, “Enough. Let's get going, shall we? Rest is part of our jobs, too. We can't go into the next battle exhausted.”

“Now that's a plan!” Gatrie cheered, “I'm so hungry, I could eat a wyvern!”

After the group had returned and eaten dinner, Titania when to the meeting room to talk with Greil.

“So, how do you feel Ike did today?” Greil, asked,

Titania replied, “He did far better than I expected. What surprised me was how he handled that pegasus knight. He thought of that plan so quickly, and I hadn’t said a word to him.”

Greil hummed in thought, “Did you feel he might be ready to handle managing his own mission?”

“Very likely, but the final decision is up to you, Commander.”

“… Alright, Thank you Titania.”

And Titania took her leave and left to the barracks. On her way there, she heard her name being called out.

“Titania!”

She turned and saw Ike, “What is it?”

“About what happened earlier, if you're looking for pride...I have it.”

She turned her head, confused.

“You and my father have kept this mercenary group together. And I'm...just...proud to be a part of it. That's all.”

“Ike...” Titania smiled for the first time since they’d returned.


	5. Roadside Battle

“Ike! Ike! I've got to tell you something! Listen to this!”

It was Mist. It 4 was in the morning. And whatever it was Ike didn’t care. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

“Settle down, Mist. It's too early for you to be yelling like that,” Ike groaned as he sat up. “Now, what's going on?”

“Soren's back! He just arrived.”

“Really?” Now Ike cared.

As he was hastily throwing on a shirt Ike continued talking with Mist. “That's odd. He wasn't supposed to return for a while yet.”

“I know!” Mist replied. “I wonder what he's doing back so soon...”

“It's probably nothing to worry about.” Ike said, though this was Soren. Whatever reason he had for coming back early would be important. “I'll go and talk to him. Where is he?” Ike continued as he was already rushing out of the barracks.

“In the mess hall. I think he wanted to talk to Father.” Mist replied

“Right. I'll go check there.” Ike said as he changed from a barely-contained walk to a run.

As Ike reached the mess hall, he heard his father’s voice, “...Troubling news indeed. Gather the troops.”

“Yes, Commander,” Titania followed.

It was then that Ike reached the entrance to the room and his father spoke to him with urgency, though he tried to hide it, “Ike, if you've got time to waste, you've got time to work. Get over to the briefing room.”

“Yes, sir,” Ike said confused before muttering to himself, “What is going on around here?”

“Bad news. Something big is happening, and we need to formulate a plan of action,”

Ike could recognize that voice anywhere “Soren!”  

“Hello, Ike. Long time, no see.” Soren said, with a smile Ike knew well.

“I'm happy to see you're back. But what happened? I thought you were going to be studying for a while longer,” Ike asked, sounding more concerned that he’d hoped. Soren looked exhausted. He had dirt on his clothes, something he never liked, and clearly hadn’t eaten in days.

“It's a long story...” Soren replied wearily.  

“What's the hold up? Get over here now!” Greil yelled about to lose his patience. That meant this was serious.

“Let's go. I'll fill you in later.” Soren replied before walking off, with Ike following behind him.

“As you all know, Soren's been training with another mercenary group. Well, he's back now. And he has some unbelievable news.”

“What news is that?” Ike asked.

“It's Crimea and Daein,” Soren answered. “They've gone to war.”

“War?! It...It can't be!” Mist said, shocked.

“That's why I've called everyone here. Soren has some more information. Go ahead, Soren.” Greil prompted.

“All right,” Soren said, as he pulled out something from his bag. “Take a look at this map.”

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/143453971@N08/31579994518/in/photostream/)

“Ah. It's a map of Crimea. Quite detailed, from the looks of it.” Greil said,

“Yes. This is the Melior, Crimea's capital.” Soren said as he pointed to a castle. “Our base of operations is... right about here.” Pointing to a spot near the shore, west of Melior. “Everything started three days ago. I needed to do some research, so I went to the archives of Melior's royal library. Without warning, the scream of a terrible beast—a wyvern, perhaps—rent the air, and the building was rocked by a tremor. I rushed outside and saw wave after wave of knights, cavalry, and wyvern riders, each clad in glistening ebon armor, black as night.”

“The Daein army?” Greil questioned.

“Correct,” Soren confirmed.

Greil continued, “Was there provocation?”

“As you know, relations between Crimea and Daein have never been...friendly. However, the past centuries have seen only minor skirmishes, nothing that has ever approached the scale of this attack. It was brutal and without warning. Daein laid the capital to waste. I've never seen destruction on this scale before,” Soren answered with the slightest hint of fear that was quickly snuffed out before anyone could notice.

“A swift attack, devastating and brutal...A daring gambit, indeed,” Titania mused.

“But if it succeeds, a very well-chosen one at that,” Greil replied. “Yes, the king of Daein would not hesitate to employ such treacherous tactics. What happened next?”

“King Crimea's brother deployed the Crimean army to meet the attack. The king ordered his people to flee the city before the battle reached them. Fearing the worst, I also fled and made my way here,” Soren answered.

“So we don't know how the tides of battle flow now, do we?” Greil mused. “That's all right. Word of the war cannot have traveled far yet. We may well be the first ones who know of it out here. You did well to bring us this information, Soren. I know some risk was involved.”

“It was nothing,” Soren replied, lowering his eyes from Greil’s gaze.

After this there was a stunned silence as everyone took the news in. Titania was the one to break the silence.

“Daein has invaded Crimea...We may be mercenaries, but this still affects us.”

“What are we going to do?” Ike asked.

“That's the question of the day,” Greil replied. “How do you see it, Titania?”

“Crimea is the closest thing our company has to a homeland The Crimean royal family and noble houses have been generous, providing us with many lucrative jobs. From a moral standpoint as well as a business one, it's in our best interest to help Crimea.”

“And you, Soren?” Greil asked.

“I agree on one point: we are mercenaries. We are not Crimea's private militia. No coin has crossed our palms, so I think we should stay out of it.”

“So you would have us sit and watch as Crimea is overrun?” Greil asked calmly.

“I would. Daein's troops are superior in both numbers and morale. The chances of a Crimean victory are slim indeed.” Soren replied plainly.

“But Crimea is ruled by King Ramon, who is known throughout the land for his wisdom. And his brother, Duke Renning, is said to possess peerless valor and courage. Daein may not find victory so easily,” Titania defended.

“Valor and courage are for children's tales. In terms of military prowess, Daein's King Ashnard is every bit Lord Renning's equal. Victory will hinge on troop numbers and supplies, and Daein is superior in both. I think the outcome is painfully obvious,” Soren retorted.

“Curse you, Soren!” Titania shot back. “Crimea is not doomed! If they can turn aside Daein's initial thrust and turn it into a test of endurance...”

“With the Crimean army both demoralized and ill prepared?” Soren replied, “They simply will not be able to hold out that long.”

“All right. That's enough. Both of you,” Greil intergected. Greil knew as well as Ike it was responses like this that made people dislike him. Cold and uncaring: that is how Soren is described. But it was that objectivity that Greil appreciated about him. “I hear what you say. However, we must ascertain the current situation before we decide on any action. We'll send a scouting party to get a closer look at Melior.” Greil turned to his son, “Ike, I want you in charge of this. Assemble your men and get going.”

“What? Me?” Ike replied, confused.

“Titania will accompany you as an advisor,” Greil continued as he began to walk away.

“Commander, you must be joking!” Shinon protested. “He's just a boy, and he's had barely more than a taste of battle. What do you expect a whelp like him to accomplish?”

“Ah, Shinon. Since you're so concerned, you can go as well,” Greil replied, his patience nearly gone.

“Wait, that's not what I...Blast,” Greil was already speaking with the others before Shinon could protest.  

“Who else...Gatrie Rhys, and Soren. That should do,” Greil finished.

“Father, wait...” Ike asked, “Why do you want me—”

 “That was an order,” Greil stated, “Get moving. There's no time to waste.”

“Yes, sir.” Ike answered.

“Titania, I'm going out for a bit. I want you to give Ike some direction,” Greil said before leaving the room.

“Understood,” Titania replied.

“...Yes, sir,” Ike quietly repeated, more confused than before.

Ike left with the rest of his group and went to his room to change his clothes. Despite how tired he was he wasn’t about to go out on a mission in pajamas. When Ike was leaving to meet with everyone at the front, Ike hear Mist calling him.

“Ike! Wait up!”

“What?” Ike answered, more harshly than he’d intended. After all he was so confused and tired he really didn’t know what to feel.

“Here! This is for you.” Mist held out a long object wrapped in cloth. When Mist placed it in his hands he knew what it was.

“A sword? Where did you get it?” Ike asked as he began unfolding the cloth.

“From Father,” Mist replied, “He told me to come and give it to you.”

“It's beautiful,” Ike said as he pulled it from its scabbard. Both sword and scabbard were polished to a mirror shine, with the sword’s grip being wrapped in a beautifully dyed red leather.

“This is the first sword you've gotten that wasn't a hand-me-down from somebody, isn't it? That's great!” Mist cheered,

“Yeah...” Ike replied absentmindedly.

“Well, be careful! Oh, and bring me a souvenir! Something nice. I've never been to Melior before...” And Mist darted off back into the base.

As Ike watched her he said, “Mist, I'm not going on vacation. Sheesh!” half to himself, half out loud.

Once Ike lost sight of Mist he turned to meet with the rest of the group.

“Is everyone ready?” Ike asked,

“Yes, sir,” was heard from three, with one silent nod of assent, and one expected grunt of disapproval.

“Greil Mercenaries, move out!”

As they waked, Ike and Soren chatted about what had happened while they were apart.

“So… what exactly did you do with the other mercenary group?” Ike asked,

Soren’s eyes turned slightly towards Ike, but his head still faced forward as he replied. “Since they thought I was a spirit charmer, I was slated to work with their mages and participate in elaborate, mage-centric strategies that were highly flawed in order to complete missions. I immediately brought this up to my commanding officer, at which he threatened to beat me and throw me out. Luckily for them, their commander had some sense in him and requested that I attempt my proposed strategy. If I failed, I’d be thrown out, but if I succeeded I would become their strategist for the remainder of my stay.”

“Wow, how do you have the guts to say things like that?” Ike replied,

Soren responded almost immediately, as if he knew what Ike was going to ask. “From the second I’d seen my commanding officer I knew he wouldn’t be good. He was arrogant like Shinon, but unlike our alcoholic sniper, he didn’t have the skill to back it up. I wouldn’t have minded being kicked out anyways. I much prefer being here than anywhere else. I just did it because your father requested it of me.”

“Well I’m glad to have you back, whatever the circumstances are,” Ike said, “I knew something was wrong when you hadn’t wrote recently.”

“Yes, I imagine my letter never left Melior. I’d mailed it the day I left,” Soren relpied calmly,

Ike, somehow afraid to ask what had happened when Daein invaded, asked instead, “So… what were you writing to us about? We’d only got one letter from you about how you’d arrived saftely and you’d be sure to study hard.”

“I never said I’d ‘study hard’,” Soren rebuked, “I said I’d study what I could. And I was certainly right in writing that. There wasn’t much for me to learn.”

“Oh…” Ike’s face flushed. But why was he getting embarrassed? It’s not like this is unusual for Soren. He’s always getting corrected by Soren. So why was he getting embarrassed?

“Ike?”

He jumped as Soren’s voice pulled him out of his musing.

“Are.. you worried about what happened in Melior?”

If Soren had noticed his embarrassment, he was choosing to ignore it.

“I guess…” Ike stammered, “I mean, you were attacked by Daein out of nowhere and you ran all the way from the capital back to the base. You must have been exhausted.”

“It was nothing, really. I’ve been through worse and starved for longer,” Soren said calmly. He said it as if it was normal, as if he was commenting on the weather.

“Don’t worry about it, Ike. Now that I’m back here I’ll be okay,” He said as he looked at Ike with kind eyes. An expression Ike had only ever seen given to him.

Ike stared back at him and this time it was Soren’s turn to blush, “Anyways, what exactly happened that you’re leading a mission?” Soren questioned.

“Oh, yeah. I finally convinced Father to let me become a mercenary,” Ike answered

‘I can see that much. So why exactly are you leading this mission?” Soren repeated,

“Well… to be honest, I’m not sure. It’s only been three days since I’ve officially joined so I really have no idea,” Ike replied awkwardly,

Soren shrugged slightly, “Whatever his reasoning is, it must be good knowing your father.”

For the rest of the journey the pair were silent, both lost in their own thoughts. It was nearing sundown when they finally found any signs of combat. There were dead soldiers strewn about, some still clutching their weapons. They were clearly killed not too long ago, around 10 hours.

“I’ll go and scout ahead,” Soren said,

“I’ll go too,” Gatrie followed,

Ike didn’t answer, only gave a silent nod before the two left. As they were leaving, Titania and Rhys came over.

“What's wrong, Ike? You seem lost in thought,” Titania asked,

Ike sighed heavily before replying, “I don't understand what my father's doing. Why put a new recruit like me in charge of something so important?”

“You're going to succeed him as our commander one day. Don't you think he wants you to know how to lead?” Rhys replied,

“Me? I don't... I don't know if I'm capable. And even if I am, that day's a long way off, right? I mean, I'm inexperienced. Weak. I'm nothing compared to my father,” Ike stated,

“I'm not so sure about that. When I look at you, I see a young man full of promise. Commander Greil is a great man, but...I think you'll be every bit his equal. In time, you might even surpass him,” Rhys encouraged,

Ike laughed at this, “Don't be ridiculous!”

“It's just my opinion. You need not pay it any mind,”  

“Well, it's never too early for you to start preparing for that day,” Titania chimed in,

“Yeah, you're right,” Ike replied, as he drifted back into his thoughts,

When Ike saw Soren and Gatrie he ran over to meet them, “How did things look over there, Soren?”

Soren shrugged, “Same as here. There are corpses strewn everywhere. There are quite a lot of them, especially when you consider how far we are from the capital.”

Titania asked, “Are they Crimean?”

“I don't think so,” Gatrie replied, “Look at that black armor, Ike. The vast majority of the dead are Daein soldiers.”

“So Crimea has the upper hand?” Ike questioned,

Soren shook his head, “Just the opposite, I think. The Crimean soldiers were members of the Imperial Guard. That means King Ramon—or another member of the royal family—was on the move when Daein soldiers fell on them.”

Titania face grew stern, “Could it have been Lord Renning?”

“No. As long as the Crimean army still draws breath, Lord Renning will not leave their command,” Soren replied quickly, “Perhaps another member of the court...”

Soren was cut short by the distinct sound of armored soldiers. Titania looked over at Gatrie and Shinon. She nedded and the three of them snuck closer to see what was going on. It wasn’t long before Gatrie returned.

“We've got Daein soldiers moving in on our location! And they don't look happy!”

The Daein captain’s barking carried all the way to the rest of the group.

“You there! Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Titania’s voice was almost inaudible in comparison, “We're no one you need—”

“You're armed!” the Daein barked, “Heed me! Drop your weapons and surrender! Act quickly, or else!”

Shinon’s voice, annoyed but calm, cut through, “Listen to me, fool. You're making a mistake. We're not...”

“Ah, not going to cooperate, eh? Ready your weapons, men! Move in and kill them all!”

The two ran back as the Daein commander went to rally his troops.

“Tsk! Headstrong fools!” Titania muttered.

“Getting caught up in some skirmish is not part of the plan...” Soren stated as his brows knit in a tangle of irritation and annoyance.

Shinon sauntered up to Ike, far too close, and began his speech. “All right, Ike. Let's see how you handle the role of captain. Well? What are your orders, boy? We'll do what you say, so long as you hurry up and spit it out!”

“I know, I know! I'm thinking! Give me a moment, will you, Shinon?” Ike shot back.

“Bah. Useless! We'd be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp,” Shinon yelled as he walked off in a huff.

Soren came over to offer help. “Ike, do you have any ideas on how you want to approach this fight?”

“Let's see...We're in the middle of the road, and there's not much cover. You and Rhys are vulnerable, so we have to protect both of you from enemy attacks...Right?” Ike asked,

Soren made a short hum, “That's a sound strategy, Ike. I can attack from behind your defenses. Good thinking.”

“Do you mean that? Um...all right! Let's do that then,”

Ike drew his sword and said, “Greil Mercenaries! Get ready to fight!”

Gatrie and Titania charged forward to act as a shield, with Ike hanging back with Soren and Rhys to protect them. With Daein being a proper army, they were equipped with lances and spears instead of the common axe. This ended up being in Ike’s favor however, as Titania was able to cut down soldier after soldier with her hand axe. As the group pushed forward they found Shinon, who was already provoking the enemy into attacking him. Despite being a bow user Shinon nimbly dodged nearly every strike the soldiers gave him, while retaliating against the enemy archers with the very arrows they shot at him.

“Grrr! Blasted mercenaries,” the Daein captain growled, “They're better than I expected. Even so, they'll not prove a match for Daein's finest!”

With that, he and his soldiers charged in. Most decided to try attacking Shinon, but a couple decided to go for Soren and Rhys. Ike moved in to block their attacks, but the lances superior range made the task quite difficult. With Ike guarding him, Soren was able to kill the soldiers threatening them.

“Are you okay, Ike?” Rhys asked as he began healing Ike.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ike panted back,

It was then that they realized they had become separated from the rest of the group. To Ike’s horror, the one approaching was none other than the Daein captain.

“Bah! You're nothing more than a bunch of ragtag sellswords. Who are you to oppose Daein!? You are so terribly ignorant of your position in this world,” the captain sneered,

“You refused to listen to us, and then you attacked without provocation! Is this the way of the Daein army?” Ike retorted,

The Daein only laughed, “You're a cheeky little monkey, aren't you? Once you're dead, you'll regret sassing me!”

It was then that blades of wind ripped through the air and struck the enemy captain. He stumbled backwards before regaining his balance, with a gash in his armor.

“A mage, eh? I'll have to keep my guard up around you, no matter how young you look,” The captain noted aloud.

“You forced this combat. We cannot allow you to return home,” Soren replied cooly before flipping his tome to a new spell and saying, “Are you ready to die?”

The Daein laughed at this and threw his javelin at Soren. Ike could only look in horror as Soren, unable to move while reciting a spell, was hit clean through the shoulder.

“Soren!” Ike screamed as he ran to catch the mage. Even as the weapon still lodged itself in his shoulder, Soren didn’t miss a word of this spell.

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/143453971@N08/44730493244/in/dateposted/)

Two waves of winds swept in from the north and south, cutting straight through the captain’s armor and piercing his chest. The Daein collapsed into a malformed heap in a pool of his own blood.

“Gwaa haa...Wretched curs...You will regret your decision to oppose Daein...”

When the few remaining soldiers saw the mage ready to call out another spell, they ran. But Ike wasn’t concerned with that. He was more concerned about Soren and removing the javelin from his shoulder.

“You pull it out while I start healing,” Rhys said, face pale from all the blood.

Ike didn’t answer and did as he was told. Soren didn’t make a sound, only closed his eyes grit his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside.

“You’re lucky Soren. It wasn’t too deep and it missed your vitals,” Rhys said shakily.

Once Ike saw the wound had closed and Soren opened his eyes did Ike breathe a sigh of relief.

“That was incredibly reckless of you, Soren,” Ike said,

“We would have been in far more danger if I hadn’t,” Soren replied weakly with a small, barely noticeable smile.

Titania was riding over and Ike went to meet with her.

“Did we suffer any casualties?” Ike asked

“No, but is Soren okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. Luckily Rhys it wasn’t too serious and he should recover just fine.”

“All right then! Excellent! Well done, everyone!

In the distance, Gatrie and Shinon were talking as the rest of the group was walking to meet up with them.

“I don't know...Taking out these Daein soldiers may have been a bad move,” Gatrie said, “Um...Hey, Shinon? What are you doing?”

“This swine's got some nice weapons. Besides, he ain't gonna complain. He won't need them where he's going,” Shinon laughed as he picked up a bow and quiver.

“Shinon!” Ike yelled,

“Get ahold of yourself! We can't afford such behavior right now,” Soren reprimanded, “Steal from the dead on your own time.”

“What? You judgmental little—”

“Soren! Shinon! Stop this at once! This is no place for us to waste time bickering amongst ourselves!” Titania scolded,

Ike sighed before saying, “Let's clear out of here. We have to tell the commander what happened.”

“Let's take this road,” Soren suggested “We should be able to cut through the forest and...Huh?”

Ike knew Soren doesn’t pause for nothing. “Something wrong?”

“No, as I said, this road...”

“Ike, I just saw something move on the far side of that thicket!” Titania said, hand moving to her lance.

“A wounded soldier, perhaps?” Ike pondered aloud. “Let's go take a look. Careful, now!”

Rhys was the first to reach the thicket. His face went pale for the second time that day. “Oh, no...”

“Did you find anything?” Ike asked,

“It's...a young woman...” Titania stated,

“Leave her. We shouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern us,” Soren said, uncaring.

Right as he said this, the girl moaned in pain.

“Thank goodness...It looks like she's merely fainted,” Rhys said, as color returned to his face.

“She fainted, but she's still breathing,” Titania said to herself before turning around. “Ike, we can't leave her here.”

Ike nodded in response “Right. We'd better take her with us for now and make sure she's all right. Give me a hand will you, Titania?”

“Of course,”

As Ike and Titania moved the girl to Titania’s horse Soren muttered to himself “...I don't like this...”

 Once they were done Ike said, “Well, do you know how we should go through the forest, Soren?”

“Ah… yes. If we cut through the forest along this road we should cut about an hour or more off of our travel time,” Soren replied,

“Great, let’s go.”

The group made it back as night was falling. Oscar was outside waiting for them.

“Welcome back— what happened? Who’s this?” Oscar asked,

“We found her as we were about to make our way back. We have no idea who she is,” Ike replied,

“I’ll go ask Commander Greil where she should stay,” Titania said as she lead her horse ahead of the group.

“Well, in any case, I’m glad all of you are back in one piece. We were beginning to worry,” Oscar stated.

“We’ve had a hectic day to say the least…” Ike replied wearily,

The others went off to eat while Ike was called in by Titania to talk to his father. The two of them explained what had happened during their investigation and about the girl.

“I see…” Greil mutred, “Well, putting Daein aside for now we need to talk to this girl and find out more about what happened there. Titania, bring her over to Mist’s room. I’ll bring a spare mattress for her.”

“Yes, sir.”

Titania left to move her to the barracks.

“I’m going to help Titania. You’re free to go eat now if you’d like,” Greil said as he was getting up.

Ike was dying to eat. He hadn’t had a thing all day and didn’t get much sleep thanks to Mist. He said I quiet “thank you,” before running to the mess hall. When he arrived he wasn’t expecting to find anyone, especially not Soren.

“Soren? What are you doing here?”

“Oh. Good evening, Ike. I’m doing exactly what you see: eating.” Soren replied with what Ike could have sworn was the world’s smallest sandwich. He had a book laid out on the table and was clearly more interested in reading than eating.

“How exactly can you eat so little? Actually, when did you last eat?” Ike asked, fearing the answer.

“About five days ago,” Soren replied nonchalantly.

“Dear Ashera, Soren you’ve got to eat more! You’re going to starve on us one of these days!” Ike scolded as he went to grab the food set aside for him.

“Here. Take some of mine,” Ike said as he held out a bread roll. Soren stared at it for a moment before sighing and taking it.

“To be perfectly honest, I don’t know how you can eat so much,” Soren muttered as he bit off a piece. He pushed the book aside and resigned himself to eating a “proper meal”.

“I just don’t want you dying on us, okay?” Ike said, and Soren only nodded in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the spell Soren chants:  
> upnet no imako eruketiikow ihsataw. usamietakustow ezak on imak, iasaduk etihsawokow iket ot!  
> (Wind of the gods, hear my request. Turn the winds of heaven against my adversaries!)
> 
> Apologies for my terrible Japanese, I'm not great at older Japanese.


	6. The Flight

Ike went to bed after finishing up his meal with Soren, but his mind was still racing. Today had been crazy, what with Soren showing up out of nowhere, leading the scout, and finding a girl passed out in the middle of an empty battlefield.

Ike still couldn’t wrap his head around why his father would want him to take charge like that, and thinking about it in bed wasn’t doing him any good, so he decided to ask him.

It was late, but Ike know his father would still be awake, so he quietly made his way out of the barracks into the briefing room. Ike knocked on the door and heard his father’s voice,

“Come in,”

Ike quietly pushed the door open and slipped into the room. He closed the door behind him before pausing, not sure exactly what he wanted to ask.

“Well, what is it, Ike?”

Ike was pulled out of his thought. He decided he might as well say it however it came out.

“Father, I don’t understand why you had me lead the scouting mission.”

Greil’s face didn’t change, as if he was expecting the question, “Why? This is part of being a mercenary.”

“But I’ve never seen Oscar, Boyd, Rhys, Gatrie, or Shinon lead the others,” Ike replied, “Only Titania and Soren.”

“Do you think someone like Gatrie could lead the Greil Mercenaries?” Greil asked,

“… No,” Ike stammered back, “But I bet Oscar could, and he has more experience than me, so why choose me?”

Greil sighed and was about to reply, when Mist burst into the room.

 “Father! Brother! It’s that lady Ike rescued…She’s awake!”

Ike whirled around to see her “Really?”

Greil got up from his chair and said, “Come on. Let’s greet our guest.”

The three made their way to Mist’s room in silent anticipation. Just what kind of a person had Ike rescued?

When they reached Mist’s room the girl sat up on the bed.

Greil asked the girl, “So, how are you feeling?”

 “Oh, I…I’m fine…” the girl stammered back “And you are?”

“The name’s Greil. I’m the commander of this mercenary company.”

The girl delicately put her hands together as if in prayer, “My lord Greil…You are the one who came to my aid, are you not? I don’t know how to thank you…”

“Hold on,” Greil interjected, “The one who found you and brought you here is my son, Ike. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”

Ike immediately tried to brush it off, “No, please, that’s not–“

“Lord…Ike, was it? You have my gratitude,” the girl replied with a slight bow of her head.

Ike shifted uncomfortably at the praise, but mostly at her wording. “Lord”? He’d never heard anyone call another person that outside of stories, and hearing someone call him that somehow made him uncomfortable.

Ike was pushed out of his thoughts when his father spoke,

 “Pardon my bluntness, but I have some questions for you. Tell me, who are you? What were you doing in that place?”

The girl’s eyes showed she desperately wanted to speak, but her lips didn’t make a sound.

“The place where Ike found you was evidently the site of a fierce battle between Crimean and Daein forces. Do you have some relation to the Crimean royal family?”

The girl hung her head, as if in defeat.

Ike decided to say something to try and encourage her, “I make no promises, but we may be able to help you. Will you share your story with us?”

The girl took a deep breath, and looked back with determination, “You took me in and cared for me. I will…place my trust in you. Elincia Ridell Crimea. I am the daughter of King Ramon of Crimea.”

“What?” Ike said, not sure how he should react.

Ike’s father was equally surprised, “You say you are the princess of Crimea?”

The girl replied with a firm “yes,” with any fear she may have so thoroughly hidden you couldn’t tell.

Greil became suspicious, “That’s an odd claim to make. I’ve never heard of King Crimea having any children.”

Choosing her words carefully, she replied, “That is…to be expected. My heritage, my very existence, has never been made public.”

“Why’s that?” Ike asked,

“To avoid national turmoil,” she replied simply, “You see, I was born after my uncle, Lord Renning, was named as successor to the throne. So…”

 “They kept you a secret to avert a possible blood feud,” Greil finished, “Yes, I’m willing to accept that for the time being. Very well, let’s suppose that you truly are Princess Crimea. You must know what’s become of the king and your uncle. I would like to hear that news.”

Elincia hesitated before speaking, clearly bearing bad news, “…My father and my mother are dead…They fell at the hand of Ashnard, King of Daein…My lord uncle and the royal knights are still battling the Daein army, I believe.”

“I see,” Greil said, deep in thought.

“…I…fled the castle…to follow my lord uncle’s orders,” she said, her voice trembling, “and seek refuge in the kingdom of Gallia…”

Greil was surprised by this, “In Gallia?”

“…Yes. We believed that King Caineghis would grant me sanctuary. So that’s where I was going…” Elincia trailed off, trying to keep her emotions in check. She took a deep breath before she was able to continue, “But we were discovered by Daein troops, and I lost my escort of knights…My life–the life I have now–was purchased…with the blood of those brave knights…”

She began crying, with her head in her hands. Greil, Ike, and Mist looked on in pity. Mist shyly walked over to the bed and tried to comfort Elincia.

When Elincia had mostly regained her composure Ike quietly asked, “Does King Daein know of your existence?”

“Yes. I was told the royals of each nation were informed of my identity in the event of dire circumstances…”

“If that’s the case, they must be searching frantically for you,” Greil commented.

“Master Greil, my lord Ike, you said that you were mercenaries, did you not? Please…Would you help me to gain Gallia? I beg of you! I have…no one…no one else to turn to.”

“We’ll see what we can do. For now you just get some rest,” Greil replied simply. He motioned to Ike to follow him out. On their way out the met Titania who was coming back in.

“How is she?” Titania asked,

“She’s a bit shaken from the experience, but she’s fine now,” Greil replied with a shrug, “Ike can give you the details.”

Ike followed Titania into the mess hall and explained the situation.

“Princess Crimea? Truly?” Titania said in a dazed voice.

Ike just gave a shrug “Father spoke to her as if he believed she were telling the truth.”

“I see…” Titania replied absently as she stared off in the distance.

“What is it, Titania?” Ike asked,

“It’s nothing,” Titania replied as she shook her heard, “I was just remembering something from the past.”

“From the past? Back when you were still a Crimean royal knight?” Ike asked,

“What? How do you know about that?” Titania asked with surprise,

“A long time ago, I overheard Shinon and some others talking about it,” Ike replied,

Titania’s face immediately showed her irritation, “They keep such loose tongues.”

“Was it a secret?” Ike asked in an apologetic voice,

Titania sighed, “No, it wasn’t, but…Much like I have more experience than you, I also have many more things to worry about.”

“Like Princess Crimea?” Ike finished,

“Well…yes,” Titania said hesitantly, “I myself was unaware of the princess’s existence, but…Now that I think about it, she does bear a striking resemblance to both the king and queen.”

“So she probably is the true princess. I wonder what Father will do. Will he take on her request?”

Just then Rolf burst into the room,

“We’ve got trouble! There are soldiers! A lot of them!”

“What?” Ike shouted as Titania quickly rose an ran out of the room with Ike not far behind.

Just as the three ran into the briefing room and began to get their bearings, Greil walked in,

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes,” Ike replied,

“Commander, what are the Daein dogs saying?” Shinon asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.

 “’Turn over Princess Crimea and leave the area immediately. Comply now, or we will attack,’” Greil replied, “Pretty straightforward.”

“What are we going to do?” Gatrie asked calmly, as if this wasn’t a crisis.

“That’s what we’re here to decide. One thing has been made clear by the arrival of our friends outside,” Greil replied in a sarcastic voice.

“So, I would say this confirms her identity as Princess Crimea, wouldn’t you?” Soren questioned

“Yes, but what do we do now? I’d like to hear the opinion of everyone here,” Greil requested, “Titania, I’d like to hear from you first.”

“The blame for this war rests on Daein. If we ally ourselves with them,the company’s reputation will surely suffer. Conversely, if we deliver Princess Crimea safely, our stock will risein the eyes of our primary employers. Our road is clear.”

“Soren, how about you?” Greil asked,

“There’s nothing to think about,” Soren immediately replied, “We must deliver the princess to Daein immediately.”

“Even if Crimea is in the right?” Greil asked,

“We are mercenaries. Our actions are dictated only by self-interest. If we want to ensure our future, we need Daein in our debt. They will win this war, after all, and nothing else serves us better.”

“Shinon? Gatrie?” Greil prompted,

“Soren’s a pompous, superior whelp, but he’s got the right idea,” Shinon replied, “Besides, the destination’s Gallia, so it’s a moot question. I don’t care how much we get paid; there’s no way under the sun I’m going to stinking beast country.”

“Princess Elincia…She does possess a certain regal beauty… There’s a lot to be said for that, you know,” Gatrie replied with his usual attitude towards girls, “However I do prefer country girls…A bit cuter, and not quite so standoffish…Oh! Forget I said that. Whatever you decide is good for me, Commander. Yep, uh-huh, yep…”

“Oscar, Boyd,” Greil started, “What about the two of you?”

“I agree with Captain Titania,” Oscar replied, “If we turn the princess over to the Daein army, we’re essentially giving them permission to kill her.”

“I’m in favor of helping her,” Boyd agreed, “That’s what heroes are supposed to do.”

“Well, Rhys? What’s your opinion?”  Greil asked,

“I believe…that none of this hinges on whether she’s a princess or not. Refusing to aid someone in need is not something we should ever do,” Rhys said strongly before quietly adding, “That’s what I think.”

“That’s right! Let’s help her!” Rolf cheered,

“Please!” Mist begged, “We have to help her!”

“And what about you, Ike?” Greil said as he turned, looking his on in his eyes.

“I agree with Titania,” Ike replied unflinchingly, “I say we help her and take her to Gallia.”

“I see. I think I know where you all stand…” Greil said with a hum “….Well then, here’s my decision.” Everyone waited with baited breath before Greil announced, “We escort the princess to Gallia.”

Soren and Shinon sulked as the others cheered. Soren’s face showed a hint of fear through the faces of disgust he and Shinon shared. Seeing this on Soren’s face made Ike worry if he had made the wrong decision. He asked, “…Are you sure that’s for the best, Father?”

“Yes,” Greil replied without pausing to think, “Besides, I think the choice has been taken out of our hands.”

“What?” Ike replied,

“Open your ears and listen,” Greil ordered, “Listen! All of you.”

There was silence in the room as everyone stopped.

Boyd was the first to speak, “Huh?…What is it?”

“Uh…I don’t hear a thing…” Gatrie continued,

“Idiot!” Shinon yelled back, “That’s the problem. Don’t you think that’s a bit odd? Complete silence, in all four directions.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re talking about!” Gatrie replied with a face palm.

“Not only are the animals quiet, but the bugs are silent, too. And that unnatural beyond belief,” Oscar stated, “Which means…”

“We’re surrounded,” Ike finished, “The soldiers aren’t waiting for an answer. They already decided to attack.”

Titania clicked her tongue and shook her head, “It would appear they had no intention of keeping their side of the proposed bargain.”

 “They were planning on lulling us into a false sense of security and destroying every one of us,” Soren said, grip tightening on his tome.

“Probably so. But the deal is, we’re not so naive or inexperienced as to fall for their trap,” Greil said, “Take your positions! We’re going to settle this right now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long. My life has been pretty hectic these past two months. I just wanted put this here so anyone reading this knows what is going on with this project.
> 
> I am still interested in continuing this project. If I ever hit a point where I am unable to continue I will make a note in the summary saying so.
> 
> I will also try to make a note in the last chapter I've written if I will not be able to continue for a while, but still intend to continue the project (so I don't disappear for two months without a new chapter).
> 
> I've decided to split this chapter (in-game Chapter 5 - Flight!) into two parts due to its length and that I have not been able to update in so long. 
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far and I hope you continue to enjoy it.  
> \- Kija


	7. Escape

With the Daein army looming over the mercenaries heads, the group quickly gathered their weapons and went to meet the threat.

“I’ll go and hold the rear entrance. Ike!” Greil shouted to his son in the chaos “You’re in command here! Don’t let the enemy take the front.”

With all the chaos, it took Ike a few moments before he was even able to process what he’d heard “…Got it! Be careful, Commander!”

Greil gave a hearty laugh, seemingly devoid of stress or worry “Hah. I’ll give it a shot.”

As Ike and the other mercenaries reach the fort’s entrance they hear the telltale clatter of armor. They tried to see where their attackers could be coming from, but it was so dark you could barely see the person in front of you. What a night for a new moon!

“Shit!” Ike muttered under his breath, “How are we supposed to fight like this?”

“Even if we can’t use our eyes we still have our ears,” Soren replied, “And the enemy can see as well as we can.”

“You’re right,” Ike replied, forcing himself to calm down and weigh his options.

“Daein is known for their prowess with melee weapons,” Soren pointed out, “Thus the likelihood of them having a mage or archers is low.”

Soren’s comments gave Ike an idea. They had no horses with them, but they did have a few lance users. “Titania, Oscar and Gatrie all have lances with them. They should have the easiest time finding the enemy,” Ike stated, “Once they attack the enemy, you and Shinon can tell where they are and attack for a distance.”

“That’s a sound plan, Ike,” Soren replied.

Thus, the group prepared their defense. Titania and Gatrie took to defending the front as Oscar and Boyd defended the side entrance. Titania and Oscar were the vanguard, while Gatrie and Boyd acted as a defensive wall between the Daeins and their fort. Soren and Shinon stayed close behind, providing fire from a distance. Rhys stayed behind for healing. Ike stayed close to Soren and Rhys. If any soldiers managed to sneak through in the dark, the two of them wouldn’t last long. Anyways, Ike would be of no use on the front lines as he was now. For now, he’d stay back and protect what he could.

Titania and Oscar made their first move, though without the luxury of horses they had to move slowly. The fight ahead clearly was not going to be an easy one.

The first clash was heard in the distance, though Ike couldn’t see any of the battle. Ike looked over to the other mercenaries staying behind with him. Shinon had moved to where Oscar and Boyd were, arrow lodged in the string, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice. He had a look of deep focus and stress Ike had never seen before. Rhys had nearly frozen in place, unsure of what to do, though he still wore a determined face that cut through any fears he had. Next, Ike turned to Soren. To Ike’s surprise, Soren had his eyes closed, not in fear, but in concentration. He was calculating every enemy’s position based on what he heard. When he pinpointed his first victims, he whispered to the winds and screams of shock and pain were heard in the distance. It was a sight to behold. Ike could barely take his eyes off of it. Had Soren done this before? How else could someone do this with such precision and calm?

Ike just watched, becoming more and more frustrated. He wasn’t doing anything to help the group. But just as Ike felt as if there would be nothing for him to do but stress and wait, an arrow whizzed by him, missing both Soren and Rhys. Soren opened his eyes then with a frustrated expression. Ike knew what Soren was thinking. An archer would never confront a melee weapon user, and without someone to signal to Soren where to fire he had no way of stopping him.

Ike put his hand on Soren’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. Soren nodded in reply and Ike was off.

Ike snuck through the thick brush, careful to be as quiet as possible. If the archer heard him, he could easily be killed. But if he didn’t do this now, it could be Soren or Rhys who takes the arrow instead. His caution paid off, as he made it through the brush without getting shot. But now an even harder task stood in front of Ike: finding the archer.

Ike knew trying Soren’s trick wouldn’t do him any good here, so instead he scanned the darkness in front of him, hoping to find some movement to clue him in. After what felt like an hour, Ike finally found the archer in question. He snuck up as quietly as possible before rushing in and delivering the fatal blow.

One thing Ike hadn’t considered was the archer’s screams. His once safe and secure position became highly unstable. With little time to think, he decided moving towards Titania and Gatrie would likely be the best option. He ran towards the clashing spears, all the while holding his sword in his hands as a makeshift shield.

“Ike!” Titania shouted as he came into view.

“What are you doing you dumb pup?!” Gatrie yelled.

Ike just continued his retreat back to the inner walls of the fort as he yelled, “No time to explain! Just keep going!”

Soren way standing there waiting, looking through the darkness to find any trace of Ike. When he saw him he gave a gentle smile before closing his eyes again, returning his focus to his enemies hiding in the night.

It wasn’t much longer before the others returned to the inner walls of the fort. They had driven off the Daeins for now. The group made their way back inside to meet with Greil and reported.

“We’ve cleared the surrounding area of Daein troops,” Soren stated.

“There’s no question about it. We’re enemies of the Daein kingdom now, aren’t we?” Ike asked his father.

Greil pushed the question aside for the time being and ordered, “We’ve no time for rest! Everyone, pack your things now! We leave at once, before the enemy brings reinforcements!”

“Understood!” Oscar replied. “Boyd! Come with me.”

“Right behind you, Brother!” Boyd replied with his usual cheer, though it was tinged with worry.

 “Ah! We’ve got to hurry, too!” Mist exclaimed, “Come on, Rolf! We’ve got to pack as much food and supplies as we can!”

“Uh, whatever you say!” Rolf replied, “Let’s go, Mist!”

 “Titania! Take Shinon and Gatrie and make sure we have a secure road from here to the great forest. We’ll make our way to Gallia through the sea of trees,” Greil ordered,

“On my way, sir!” Titania replied as she, Shinon, and Gatrie ran off.

“Rhys, you stay with me. I want you to help me pull essential documents from the library. Everything else we burn,” Greil said as he walked off.

Rhys replied with a hasty “Y-yes, sir!” as he ran to catch up.

“Ike!” Greil yelled over his shoulder, “You’re in charge of the princess.”

“All right,” Ike said before thinking what he needed to do.

“Princess Elincia! I’m going to ready a horse for you. What should we have you do…” Ike though for a moment before saying, “I know – go to the mess hall.”

“I’m sorry?” Elincia asked.

“Time will go by faster if you’re helping Mist than it will if you’re just sitting around waiting for me,” Ike replied.

“Oh, I understand. I can do that!” Elincia replied cheerily.

Ike showed her to the mess hall before leaving to the stables. Elincia softly knocked on the door before entering.

“I was requested by Lord Ike to help you,” Elincia stated, “What shall you have me do?”

Mist was unsure of how to handle the situation. That brother of hers simply had no sense of class – literally. “Oh uh… Can you help me with folding up these clothes?”

“Certainly,” Elincia replied before delicately tucking her dress beneath her and knelt down to help.

The two of them spent nearly ten minutes in silence. Mist sighed and said, “Sorry, this is kind of awkward. Making a princess help with packing…”

“Please don’t worry, Mist,” Elincia replied with a smile, “I just hope that I don’t end up slowing you down by getting in your way.”

“Don’t be silly! You’re so much better at this than I am. It’s a big help! Are all princesses as good at this sort of thing as you are?”

Elincia laughed, “Ha ha! I wasn’t raised at court, so my life was a bit different than other princesses. I cooked, cleaned, sewed…Why, I did all manner of things.”

“Really?” Mist replied with a spark of interest in her eyes, “That’s surprising. I would never have guessed that by looking at you.”

“Let’s see, I also rode horses, practiced swordfighting…” Elincia trailed off as she noticed a faint blue glow peeking out from her shirt, “Ah, Mist. What’s that around your neck?”

“What? Oh, ah…” Mist stammered, unsure of what to do.

Elincia, seeing Mist’s reaction, pulled her hands back to her chest in apology, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Mist hesitated for a second more before saying, “…I guess I can show it to you, Princess Elincia.” From beneath her collar Mist pulled out a gold medallion. An ethereal blue glow spilled out from the spaces molded into the golden metal.

“Oh…It’s a lovely…” Elincia breathed, “That’s an incredible medallion, isn’t it? I wonder what that light is.”

“It used to belong to my mother. It’s all I have to remember her by,” Mist explained with a hint of sorrow,” Hmm…I don’t know where the light comes from. It didn’t used to be like that. A while back, it just started glowing.”

“The world is full of mysteries, isn’t it?” Elincia commented, “One thing is clear, though…It certainly is beautiful.”

“I wonder what that light means…” Mist murmured to herself as she tucked it back into her shirt.

The two finished their packing cheerily chatting with each other. When they finished packing all the supplies they could they met with Rolf outside the fort. Not long after, they were joined by the rest of the Greil Mercenaries.

Greil did a role call before lighting an oiled cloth and setting the fort ablaze. The group didn’t even have time to stop and process it all as they were now wanted men, on the run from Daein.


	8. A Breif Diversion

The Greil Mercenaries kept moving, walking further and further away from the place they'd called home for so long. It was nearly dawn before they even considered stopping to rest. When they finally did, Ike was the most grateful out of all of the, having not slept for almost a day. The group settled down quickly without even bothering to take off their armor. There was no time to waste as every minute of sleep they could get would be precious. Though they was only able to get a few hours of sleep before they had to move on. Who knew where their Daein pursuers could be now?

As the group kept walking, the sun continued to rise in the sky. It had become more humid as they moved closer to Gallia, but now with the sun high in the sky the heat became oppressive.

"Blazes, why does it have to be so damned humid?" Gatrie complained, "If we weren’t being chased, I’d strip off this armor here and now!"

"Then I’m almost glad that we ARE being pursued. I suppose you’ll have to grin and bear it, won’t you?" Titania answered back.

"Hm, I suppose I will," Gatrie muttered back.

"Right. So enough of your griping. You’re merely wasting energy," Titania answered back.  
Silence filled the air, with minutes passing as everyone tried to ignore the burning sun overhead.

"Still, this heat is appalling," Titania muttered.

"Dense forests such as these are not made for us delicate humans," Shinon said with a shrug of his shoulders, "The sub-humans love ’em, though."

"These…sub-humans…Are they really so different from us?" Ike asked cautiously.

"What, you mean to tell me you’ve never seen a beast-man before?" Shinon said with surprise.

"No, never." Ike replied,

Shinon's face twisted into a disgusted expression as he spoke, "Well, I have. They’re a hairy bunch, I’ll tell you. And ugly as sin, too. Their faces are all fangs and whisker. Their claws are like daggers, razor sharp and deadly. And even though they can speak our language, they’re beasts through and through. Savages, every one."

Ike was surprised, "Are there more than one type?"

Soren spoke up then, seeing the angry look on Titania's face from up ahead, "The ones Shinon calls sub-humans can be divided into three groups, each one named for its physical characteristics. First, the beast tribe, next, the bird tribe, and finally, the dragon tribe. They are traditionally called laguz. The laguz tribe residing here in Gallia is the beast tribe, who possess those feline qualities of which Shinon spoke."

"To the south are the islands where the bird-men live. The dragons are in Goldoa," Shinon added, "It’s something every mercenary should know. Looks like you know even less than I gave you credit for, Ike, my boy."

"Hm…Perhaps," Ike hummed to himself.  
The conversation died from there as they walked on without even knowing how much time had passed.

Ike chose not to complain about the heat, but Soren knew well enough that it was getting to him. Soren tapped Ike's arm and said, "…A little farther, and we’ll be out of these trees, Ike."  
Ike nodded in reply.

When Shinon overheard this he was ecstatic "Really? That means Gallia proper! Compared to this forest, even a kingdom of half-breeds will seem like heaven." he cheered. though there was a few more minutes of walking to go before forest was beginning to thin significantly.

"Hold it right there, everyone. We’re coming to the edge of the forest. Form up. Combat positions," Greil ordered and everyone prepared their weapons.

"I don’t suppose our Daein pursuers were willing to let us just slip away," Titania commented wryly.

"There is no doubt that they will attack again. Without knowing their numbers, it is difficult to advise a course of action," Soren said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Take your best guess, Soren. With the limited information we have, what is the best way to proceed?" Greil asked.

Soren though for a moment before outlining his plan "Some of our group cannot fight. If we are caught, we’ll have a difficult time defending them and attacking the Daeins. I propose we separate into two groups: a small fighting force to engage the enemy and buy the main group some time, and the rest of us–who will escort the princess to Gallia at full speed."  
"You want to divide our combat strength? The main force aside, don’t you think the risk to the smaller group is too high?" Oscar asked.

"I believe this is the only way to achieve our goal and keep casualties to a minimum. It’s possible there’s an ambush waiting for us at the edge of the forest. If we proceed with no plan, we may be caught between the pursuit and the ambush, which would be the end of us all," Soren replied.

"Looks like we’ve no choice but to give it a go," Greil said as he readied his axe, Urvan. "The diversionary team will be Gatrie, Shinon, and me. The rest of you guard Princess Elincia and proceed to Gallia straightaway. Got it?"

The mercenaries sounded back with "yes, sir", with the exception of Ike.

"Are you sure you're taking enough men?" Ike asked.

Shinon just rolled his eyes, "Idiot pup. Smaller numbers means better mobility. Your time would be better spent worrying about yourself than about us."

When Ike didn't retort, Greil decided to give his final speech to the company, "Listen up! This will probably prove to be the biggest fight this company's faced. Remember–you've got only one life. I don't want any of you dying on me. In times like these, it matters not what our blood ties are. We are family. If you don't want to cause your family any grief, then live!"

The Greil Mercenaries cheered before Greil continued, "Ike will be commanding the main force. Titania, you're his support." Both gave a nod in reply, "All right, let's move out! See you all in Gallia!"

The two groups parted in silence. Mist and Elincia looked back to watch Greil go, while Ike kept his eyes ahead, knowing their survival depended on him. As they reached the edge of the forest, Ike and Titania could see people moving, clad in black armor: the Daeins.  
"So they’re waiting for us after all…" Ike commented wryly.

"There are…more of them than I’d imagined there would be. I thought they would have been spread out across the forest border…I didn’t expect to see so many in one place," Soren commented hesitantly.

"Do we rethink our strategy?" Ike asked.

Soren shook his head, "No, we’ve already split up. It’s too late to reconsider now."  
Ike gave a grunt of frustration,"Isn’t there some way we can at least get the princess, Mist, and Rolf to the far shore safely?"

Soren examined the area, "There are two bridges…This thicket extends to the edge of the westernmost bridge. If we can use the trees as cover, we might be able to reach the bridge undetected. From there, we can launch a surprise attack."  
"We’ll be creating a diversion, right?" Ike asked.

Soren nodded, "Correct. While we keep the enemy’s attention on one bridge, the princess and the others can cross the other bridge to safety. Once they successfully crossed I'll send a strong wind through the soldiers on the bridge. When that happens we run across to meet with them."

Satisfied, Ike said, "We’ve no time for discussion. That’s the plan we go with."

As the group prepared Elincia spoke up for the first time since leaving the fort. "My lord Ike, I…I will fight with you!"

Ike considered the offer. It was tempting, but… "No, you won’t."

"My lord?" Elincia asked, confused.

"I cannot let you expose yourself to danger of any kind. Everyone here is risking his life to ensure your safety. If you understand that, you’ll cooperate and do as I ask."

"I see…I will do my part," Elincia said with a hint of disappointment.

"It’s settled then," Titania commented.

"Right!" Ike agreed, "Let’s break through their lines!"

As Mist, Rolf, and Elincia broke off and prepared to get into position Ike said, "Mist! Rolf! Take care of the princess. Do not let yourselves be seen!"

"Right! Be careful, everyone!" Mist replied.

"Leave it to us, Ike! We’ll just pretend it’s a game of hide-and-seek. And I never lose at hide-and-seek!" Rolf boasted in an attempt to reassure Ike and his brothers.

When Ike was sure Mist, Rolf, and Elincia settled into position, he said, "Everyone ready? Let’s go!"

Ike and his group charged towards the bridge, where they were promptly seen by the soldiers. The Daeins rushed forward to gain control of the choke-point before the mercenaries could cross. When Soren saw the princess and company were across safetly, he cast a wind so strong it knocked the soldiers off the bridge. Ike's group had just barely made it across when the Daein commander blocked their path.

“I will not allow you to take one step more!” he shouted.

“Then I’ve no choice but to cut you down and walk over you!” Ike retorted.

With few soldiers to back the Daein's commander and a mage on Ike's side, the fight would be over before it even began. Ike engaged the commander just long enough for Soren to finish chanting his spell. Winds cut through his armor and into his skin. Soren got an especially lucky shot, slitting the commander's throat.

The soldiers, seeing their commander's demise, gave little resistance and Ike and company fled.

"I don’t know how that ended up working so well, but we made it…" Ike said as he heard a familiar voice in the distance

"Brother!" Mist shouted,

"My lord Ike!" Elincia joined ,

"Mist! Princess, Rolf…Are you all well?" Ike asked,

Rolf gave a big grin in reply, "Yep! We’re fine."

"Is this Gallia? We made it, didn’t we?" Mist asked, and Soren replied with a nod.

"We’re safe now, right?" Mist hesitantly asked he brother.

"I'm pretty sure we are," he replied,

Mist's expression became confused, almost sad, "I thought I would feel different, but I don’t."

The princess chose to interject then, "This is all due to your efforts. Thank you…"

Ike still wasn't used to how she spoke. All the formality and gratitude that seemed to obvious to do. "Princess Elincia…" He started before Soren interrupted.

"It’s still too early to rest easy. The others haven’t rejoined us yet." he said brusquely.

Elincia flinched at his tone, worried she'd said something wrong.

"We are talking about the commander," Titania countered I don’t think there’s anything to worry about."

"…Princess Elincia, I’m afraid we’re going to have to part ways here," Ike said.

Elincia was taken aback by this, "But what do you mean?"

"We’re going back to aid our companions. So I want you to continue with Mist to the royal palace of Gallia."

"What? No, Ike! I’m going to stay with you!" Mist stated.

"Listen to me, Mist! We must do it this way so that everyone gets out of here alive!" Ike replied.  
Mist only got more upset at this.

"Father and I will catch up to you right away! Don’t worry. Have Father or I ever broken a promise to you?" Ike reassured.

"Well…no. All right, then. We’ll go ahead," Mist begrudgingly agreed.

"Thank you, Mist," Titania replied, "We’ll see you soon."

"All right. Titania…Please take care of my brother. Promise?" Mist asked,

Titania reassured her, "You have my word on it."

"Oscar…Boyd…Don’t get killed out there, all right?" Rolf said,

Oscar bent down to give his brother a hug.

"Knock it off, both of you!" Boyd complained, "You’re like a couple of old women. We’re gonna be fine. Nothing bad’s gonna happen while I’m around!"

"All right, we’re going to go now," Mist said as they turned to walk further into Gallia.

"Good luck. Watch your step, and be careful," Ike said as he waved goodbye.

"We’ll see all of you again…I’m sure of it! I know you will all be safe," Elincia stated.

When they were no longer in sight Ike said, "Let’s get moving! Where to, Soren?"

"We go east on the road we used before. Let’s find the commander before the enemy reinforcements show up," Soren said. And the group followed Soren suggestion in search of Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... uh... this is awkward... but for some reason this never got posted even though I did 2 weeks ago... so you'll be getting double chapters now! (yay)


	9. Jet Black Evils

“They’re not here either…” Ike said in frustration.

“Ike, pursuing them any farther may be dangerous,” Soen stated, “I think it would be best if we returned to Gallia for now. It’s possible the commander may have followed another road into Gallia. It’s something we should consider.”

Ike sighed, “…You’re right. Getting killed looking for them would waste everything they accomplished by breaking away. I guess all we can do is trust that they’re well and withdraw.”

As they were about to leave Titania yelled, “Ike, there’s a fort over there. Just now, for a moment only...I thought I saw someone. Shall we investigate?”

“What? Really? Yes, let’s go take a look,” Ike answered eagerly

 “It seems as though this place has been abandoned for a long time,” Soren stated.

“There’s no one here,” Titania sighed in disappointment “…Hm. I could’ve sworn I saw a silhouette, but…I guess it was a trick of the light.”

“Let’s take a quick look around,” Ike said “If we don’t find anything here, we’ll head back to Gallia.”

“Very well…” Titania replied.

**The group wandered deeper into the cold stone fort. Nothing could be heard except their footsteps and the clanking of metal as the searched.**

“Here they are!” Someone yelled “I’ve found the Crimean mercenaries! Surround them!”

“Shit! Daein troops…” Ike muttered as everyone began drawing their weapons. There was no time of orders or strategies: just fighting. Sword against spear and axe was heard throughout the building. As the fight continued, Ike noticed a blue haired girl running away from the Daein soldiers.

‘Whatever. As long as she isn’t out to kill us’ Ike thought.

To Ike’s surprise though, she came up and talked to him.

“Your name wouldn’t happen to be Ike, would it?” she asked,

“It is, but…who are you?” Ike questioned in return,

“I’m Mia. I’m a mercenary, hired by Crimea to bolster the army’s numbers.”

“An army mercenary, huh?” Ike commented aloud, “So, uh, what are you doing here?”

“I got careless and was captured. They were about to send me to a prison camp when Greil saved me,” Mia replied,

“You’ve seen my father? Where?” Ike asked excitedly,

“Just a little bit north of here. Not too far away, though,” Mia replied

“Really? So he’s safe…” Ike sighed as he began to relax a bit.

“Tell me, who exactly are you guys?” Mia asked,

“We’re the Greil Mercenaries. As you can see, we’re fighting against Daein,” Ike stated.

“Huh…You’re taking on a whole Daein battalion with these numbers?” Mia asked, “Nice. That settles it then!”

Ike just stared back confused, “Settles what?”

“This battle. I’m coming in on your side,” Mia laughed, “You don’t mind, do you?”

“It’s fine with me, but…I don’t know if you’ll get paid just because I let you fight,” Ike replied,

“We’ll worry about the details later!” Mia said as she pulled out her sword “Great, so that’s all taken care of. What next, boss?”

_“Fight,” Soren replied, shooting a gust of wind behind them. “Less taking, more fighting.”_

_“Well geez, no need to be so sour…” Mia pouted before she was fighting alongside Ike and the other like she’d been with them for years._

_After almost half an hour of fighting a laugh rang throughout the fort._

“Ha ha ha…Found you at last. You provided more entertainment than I thought you would.”

“Who are you?” Ike called out as the speaker came into view. A woman riding a horse black as knight, wearing Daein’s signature black armor. Her long, dark green flowed behind her which contrasted her bright red cape and her lance, which looked like it had been forged in an inferno.

“Me? I am General Petrine, and my arrival marks your doom. Lament your fortune, dear children, for all hope is lost. You will not leave this place alive.”

“Petrine…of the Four Riders of Daein?” Soren said with audible fear.

“Do you know her, Soren?” Ike asked,

“If she’s who I think, then she’s one of the four generals who are King Daein’s most trusted confidants. She is said to wield a flame lance of terrible arcane might,” Soren replied with red eyes seeming to burn into her like the fire he spoke of as he gripped his tome tighter in his hands, ready to use his next spell.

“Ha ha ha…You’ve heard of me? Why, I’m flattered. I’ll try to make this easy on all of you. Give me the princess, and do it now. If I roast the girl along with you curs, I won’t be able to present her head to His Majesty,” Petrine replied as she flourished her lance from behind her back.

“Sorry to tell you this, but the princess isn’t here. She’s been in Gallia for quite some time now,” Ike replied with determination, unwavering.

“What…nonsense is that?” Petrine scoffed “Do you expect me to believe you? There’s no way mercenary scum like you could get past my troops!”

“They say that blind arrogance sows the field of its own destruction. Something tells me they were talking about you.”

Petrine whirled around, “Who–“

“Father!” Ike yelled,

“What’re you doing back here, you dumb pup?” Greil asked,

“We got the princess safely into Gallia. When you didn’t rejoin us, we decided to look for you. The mission wouldn’t be complete until you returned,” Ike answered,

Greil sighed as a smile cracked through his harsh expression, “…What am I to do with you? Still, you did well. Good work, Ike.”

Petrine had enough of their banter, “Ha! Ignoring me proves you’ve got more guts than common sense. So you’re the commander, eh? Hmph! And I was waiting for some great hero. You’re just another sellsword.”

“Am I?” Greil asked with a knowing smirk,

“Ha ha. You know, I think I’ll keep you! His Majesty, well…Let’s just say he enjoys strong men. Yes, I do think you’ll make a grand souvenir. You don’t have to come along quietly, but I must have you alive. Dead men have no value, after all,” Petrine said with the flames of her lance beginning to spark to life.

Greil’s expression quickly became dark, “…So the rumors of mad King Ashnard’s twisted games are true, are they?”

“Shinon! Gatrie! I’ll distract the woman. You two grab Ike and the others and get out of here now!” Greil yelled to his companions standing beside him.

“Got it!” Shinon replied as began running off,

“But, Commander! We can’t leave you here on your own!” Gatrie retorted,

“Idiot!” Shinon yelled over his shoulder, “That woman’s no threat to the commander. All right Come on! Let’s go!”

“Move it!” Greil yelled “We’ll regroup in Gallia!”

“You’ll not escape me. Not you or your little friends,” Petrine threatened, “You’re far too tasty a treat to pass up.”

“You said your name was Petrine, is that right? Listen up. This place is nowhere near big enough. There’s not enough room for a true contest between the two of us. I’m going elsewhere. You coming?” Greil tempted,

Petrine scoffed, “Do you actually think I’m going to fall for such a simple ruse?”

“You and I, we’ve got more power than the average person. We don’t come across a chance like this too often. I’d like to flex my muscles without any distractions getting in the way. You?” Greil asked,

“Ha ha…You really do know how to sweet talk a girl, don’t you? All right, I’m coming,” Petrine replied with a flick or her hair.

“Over here,” Greil motioned as he ran off,

“All right, men. I’m leaving you in charge here. Don’t let even one of these Crimean vermin escape! Understood? I want them exterminated by the time I return,” Petrine ordered as she ran off,

As Gatrie and Shinon were moving to the other groups position Gatrie asked, “Shinon… What are these “twisted games” the boss is talking about?”

“There’s rumor that King Daein gathers strong men from around the continent and sets them to fight one another. Those who live, regardless of their birth, are given influential positions. Don’t know if it’s true, though,” Shinon muttered,

“Oh…So that weird dame’s got her eye on the boss now, does she?” Gatrie said with a huff.  


Ike turned to see everyone in his group, “We join up with Shinon and Gatrie, and we get out of here! Come on, don’t fall behind!”

**The two groups pushed through the crowd of soldiers until they’d finally joined up.**

**Ike spoke first when they found Shinon,** “Well met, Shinon. Are you unharmed?”

“Do I look injured?” Shinon asked, “I’m as fit as ever, You must be disappointed Daein hasn’t stuck me full of holes yet.”

**Ike just stared at him.**

Shinon huffed at Ike’s inaction, “Guess it’s time to tighten our belts and move on. Now that I’m gonna be dragging your worthless carcass around again, I‘ll have to work twice as hard.”

_Ike wanted anything to get away from Shinon. He’d somehow forgotten how miserable of a person he could be. He spotted Gatrie and called him over,_

“Gatrie!”

“Hey, is that you, Ike? I heard you got the princess to Gallia. Nice work! You’re quite the hero,” Gatrie praised, “…But wait! So what the hell are you doing back here?”

“You’ll think it foolish, but I was worried about all of you,” Ike replied,

“Aww…You’re going to make me cry, you silly pup!” Gatrie laughed as he clapped Ike on the shoulder,

_As the group finally reached the exit, the mage put in charge by Petrine was the_ last thing standing in their way. “Hmph. You wretches…You’re not worthy of General Petrine’s attention. I will roast your bones and present them to her as a trophy!”

“We’ll see how that goes,” Ike said as he readied his sword.

As he was about to attack, Soren tapped him on the shoulder and shook his head.

“You don’t want to take a magical attack head on, Ike. You’re not trained for that,” Soren said, “Let me handle this.”

Ike stepped out of his way and let the showdown begin. The Daein sage versus the Greil Mercenary’s mage, Soren.

The sage was the first to strike. He conjured a ball of fire that left anyone unfamiliar with magical attacks scrambling for cover. Soren, instead of immediately retaliating, stood there. Ike just looked on in utter confusion. What was Soren doing, or rather what was he trying to do? He hadn’t even used any wind magic to blow the fire away. As the flame began to ignite the debris left on the floor, Soren opened his book. He called out the spell in his calm and collected tone of voice. As the wind began to turn into a tornado, the sage realized to late his error. Soren had used his fire to add to his own attack. The wind cut through his skin like shards of glass, and the fire burned at the wounds. The sage screamed in agony and Soren just stood there calmly sending out his next attack.

After the sage collapsed, he weakly spoke to Soren, “I… underestimated you… You filthy wind mage… you should have been killed by that fire…”

Soren only glared down at him with piercing eyes, “As you might have already guessed, I’m not your average wind mage. Fire means nothing to me.”

“Wow that was… amazing, Soren,” Ike said in awe.

Soren shrugged his shoulders, “Think nothing of it. He was an overly confident sage ho though he knew all there was about magic.”

Ike looked around, but couldn’t see his father, “I have to find my father. Where did he go?”

Then he saw Soren staring out the exit, where Titania was standing.

Ike ran over, “Titania! Is my father…”

“Don’t worry. Commander Greil’s the better fighter. He’ll be fine,” Titania reasured.

“Son of a bitch! Who are you, man? You look like a common sellsword, but you fight like a demon!” Petrine yelled breathless,

“What’s wrong? Ready to surrender?” Greil taunted,

“And admit defeat? Me? Dont’t be absurd…” Petrine replied,

“Here they are! Over here!” a voice called,

“Damn it,” Ike muttered, “Enemy reinforcements! Father! Let’s get out of here! There are too many–”

Greil huffed, “…Looks like I’ve got no choice.”

Petrine began laughing, almost hysterically, “Ha ha ha ha…So now, the tide has turned, hasn’t it? All troops, attack! Kill them! Kill them all!”

“Hm…Looks like our luck’s run out,” Greil muttered to himself,

“Father!” Ike yelled, pleading for an answer, an order, anything.

“You have to survive this, Ike. I’m not going to lose you, not in this place. Are you ready?” Greil asked,

“Yes, Commander!” Ike replied determinedly,

“You’ve nowhere to run,” Petrine taunted, “Curse whatever gods you hold, for they have abandoned you!”

She laughed, but over her laughter a sound was heard.

Ike looked around, “What was that?”

“B-b-beasts! Gallian beast soldiers!” a Daein screamed as huge cats stormed the building. Some were lions, others were tigers, and some even had a cheetah-like build.

“R-r-run! We’re going to be torn to shreds!” the soldiers screamed,

“Stand your ground, all of you! Don’t panic! I will personally slaughter the first man to turn his back on the enemy!” Petrine ordered,

But it was no use. The soldiers terrified, ran from the battle at top speed.

“Tch. Worthless cowards, one and all,” Petrine muttered,

A blue cat moved forward and said, “Attention, Daein soldiers! Leave this place at once! If you do not comply immediately, you will face Gallia’s full strength!”

“Threaten me all you like. It’s not going to frighten me off. If I leave, His Majesty will have me executed. I’d rather die here in battle, with my honor intact,” Petrine retorted,

“Withdraw, General Petrine.”

The voice rang through the building. Everyone looked to Petrine’s side to see a man, deep red cape trailed behind him, completely clad in black armor. Even his face was covered completely in armor.

“The Black Knight…” Petrine breathed as the man beside her continued to speak,

“As for your king, you have nothing to fear. I’ll explain things to him. Take your men and go.”

“Tsk! All troops, fall back!” Petrine ordered, and her troops left without another word form them or anyone else,

Petrine had left, but the Black Knight hadn’t. Ike taped his father on the arm and whispered, “He’s staring at you, isn’t he, Father?”

“Yeah. He is,” Greil whispered back,

“Hey!” The blue cat called, “Are you planning on taking us all on by yourself?”

**The Black Knight stared at Greil for a few moments longer before retreating himself.**

**The cat shifted into a more human like form as a familiar face ran through the crowd of cats.**

“Father! Brother!”

“Mist!” Ike yelled in surprise,

Elincia was not far behind, “Master Greil, my lord Ike…I am pleased you are well.”

“Princess Elincia…Why did you return here?” Ike asked,

“The princess came and requested Gallian aid for your mercenary company. That is what brings us here,” the blue cat replied,

“Are you one of Gallia’s… sub-humans?” Ike asked the cat,

“Sub-human? Ha! What arrogance it takes to coin such a name! You think yourselves the only onesworthy of the name “human,” and so we laguz must be beneath you? And thus you call us ‘sub-human.’ We are less than human to you, is that it?”

**Ike was taken aback and looked down apologetically,** “I’m sorry…I don’t know any other name for you. If I have offended you, I apologize. What should I call you? Laguz? Would that be more appropriate?”

The laguz game a more surpised expression than Ike at his question, “Huh? You show manners? How odd.I like that. Now, you are…Who, exactly?”

“My name is Ike. Ike of the Greil Mercenaries.”

The blue haired laguz smiled and said, “I’m Ranulf, a warrior of Gallia. We did not know what to think when this group of beorc came tramping through Gallian fields…Imagine our surprise to learn that one of them is Princess Elincia. Now, that was a shock. Two days ago, Daein proclaimed their conquest. We thought Crimea’s royals had all been killed.”

“Conquest? They’ve laid claim to Crimea? So that means Crimea must be…” Ike trailed off,

“I…also heard this news from my lord Ranulf…After…after I fled the capital…My lord uncle Renning…He…I…I am…all alone,” Elincia said as she began to cry, clearly not for the first time today.

“Princess Elincia…” Ike said as Mist went over to comfort her,

“This is why our king ordered extra patrols along the nation’s border. It wasn’t mere chance that brought my warriors here to offer you support,” Ranulf said,

“I see…” Ike murmured,

“First of all, I must present Princess Elincia to the king. As for the rest of your men, Ike, I must get orders from my superiors. Until then you may rest at an old castle inside Gallia,” Ranulf said, “Sorry, but I cannot bring so large a group of foreigners to the palace without warning.”

“I understand,” Ike replied, “Commander, that’s not going to be a problem, is it?”

Greil was staring off into space, where the Black Knight had left.

“Commander?” Ike asked,

“Hm? What was that?” Greil asked,

“What’s wrong? You’re not paying attention. It’s not like you,” Ike commented,

“I was thinking about something. So, what’s been decided?” Greil asked again,

“Princess Elincia is going on to the palace with Ranulf. We’re going into Gallia and setting up camp at an old castle,” Ike reviewed, “Which way to this castle, Ranulf?”

“I shall prepare a guide to take you. One of you! Quickly!” Ranulf ordered,

“No, don’t go to the trouble. If it’s nearby, we cross the river on the border and head west. It’s Gebal Castle, right?” Greil said, “You go ahead. Get the princess to King Caineghis as fast as you can.”

Ranulf stared in surprise for the second time that day, “…Understood. What thoughtful guests you are. If you’ll excuse me. Oh, and if it’s not overly presumptuous, I’ll have food delivered to you later.”

“We’d appreciate it,” Greil replied, “The road has been hard, and we had little time to pack more than salted meat and hard biscuits.”

“Then we shall provide!” Ranulf smiled, “Princess Elincia, shall we leave?”

“Farewell, everyone…Until later. I will see you soon, won’t I?” Elincia said,

Greil just made a sound of assent as Ike replied, “Take care.”

Elincia left with the escort of beast laguz to the palace of Gallia as the Greil Mercenaries wearily trekked over to Gebal Castle.


	10. A Moonless, Black Night

The company had made it to Gebal Castle and settled in for the night. As Ike laid on his makeshift bed he stared out the window. Despite barely getting any sleep over the past 48 hours he wasn’t all that tired. Ike found his thoughts wandering over that time.

Soren had only returned two days ago and he’d barely had any time to speak with him. So much had changed since he left and even more after he returned. Ike was surprised that he wasn’t homesick or anything. As long as Soren, his father, Titania, and Mist were there he’d probably be fine. He cared for everyone else, but to him they were special. But why would he feel Soren would be the same at the others? Greil is his father, Mist is his sister, Titania is like a mother not just to him, but for the entire company, so why Soren?

Before Ike could think on it more he saw somebody moving outside the window. Since he couldn’t seem to sleep, he decided to see who it was.

As Ike drew nearer, he saw a familiar axe propped up over a man’s shoulder, with a familiar blue shoulder guard on his left and that signature yellow cape on his back.

“Father!” Ike called,

“Ike? What are you doing still awake?” Greil asked,

“I couldn’t sleep, so I was lying there staring outside, and I saw you leave the castle,” Ike explained, “Where are you going at this hour?”

“It’s nothing to do with you, boy. Go back inside and get to sleep,” Greil ordered,

Ike crossed his arms and huffed, “Will you stop treating me like a child? I’ll do as I please, got it?”

“Hmph. You always were a stubborn pup. What say we take a walk and chat a bit?” Greil said as he gestured to his side

“…Yeah,” Ike said as he fell in line beside him,

The two walked along in silence for a bit before Greil asked, “Tell me, Ike, are you getting used to the ins and outs of the mercenary life? The way we approach combat?”

“I’m definitely a better fighter. But I don’t understand…Why would you put a recruit like me in charge?” Ike asked,

“What is it with all the complaining? You have a problem with authority?” Greil teased,

Ike sighed and said, “Just give me a straight answer. I’ve only just started. I’m barely able to handle my own duties around here. I shouldn’t be in charge of anyone.”

“You can learn it all at once. It’ll all fall into place as soon as you start to get some experience,” Greil reassured his son.

“It’s just strange is all… A while ago, you never would have said or done anything like this,” Ike commented,

Greil didn’t respond. He only began walking faster.

“Is something wrong, Father? Why are you in such a rush?” Ike asked,

Greil began to slow his pace until he stopped completely, “……Do you remember anything at all about your mother?”

“What? Where did that come from?” Ike said surprised,

“Just answer the question,” Greil smirked with a teasing, gentle expression,

Ike sighed as he crossed his arms again and concentrated, “Let’s see…She was kind, I…think…I don’t really remember. And you’ve never said much about her either.”

“Hm. Is that so…” Greil said as he stared forlornly off into the distance,

“Father? What is it?” Ike asked with more audible concern,

Greil shook his head as if he was trying to shake something of his mind, “We’re done. Leave me and go back to the castle.”

“What? Just like that?” Ike complained,

“You heard me. That’s a direct order! Return to the castle immediately!” Greil ordered his son,

“I… Fine…” Ike said as he turned on his heel and started walking back,

Greil watched his son go. Once he was far enough, he continued on.

After Ike had walked a distance away he looked over his shoulder. If his father hadn’t moved he should still be able to see him, but he couldn’t. Ike was very worried at this point. He decided to disobey orders and go after his father. At first, he started out walking, but soon it turned into a run. He had a bad feeling about everything that had happened. There is no way his father would just bring his axe with him on a late night stroll. Something was wrong.

As Ike drew closer and closer, he could hear sounds.

Clang.

The sound rang out through the forest; the sound of steel hitting steel.

A giant axe and a golden longsword were crashing into one another. One of the fighters was Ike’s father, Greil, and the other was the Black Knight.

They fought, capes flying behind them. Greil tried for an opening with a heavy swing of his axe. But Greil’s attack way blocked by the sword of the Black Knight. In one quick move, the Black Knight knocked Greil’s axe out of his hands, disarming him.

“Father!” Ike yelled,

“Ike? Stay back!” Greil yelled,

“Here. Use this blade,” the Black Knight said as he tossed his sword to Greil, lodging it into the ground in front of him.

“What are trying at?” Greil asked with heavy suspicion.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” the Black Knight said as he drew his blade, a sister sword made of silver. “I would prefer it if you used your proper weapon, so that I might see you at your full strength, General Gawain, Rider of Daein.”

Greil sighed quietly, “There was a time where that was my name,” he said as he picked up the gold sword, “but I threw it away with my blade.” and Greil threw the sword back to the Black Knight. “The only weapon I need is right here.” he said as he retrieved his axe.

The Black Knight gave a laugh of disgust and quietly muttered, “Do you have a death wish?”

“…That voice… I remember you,” Greil said to himself, “You think you can defeat me? The man who taught you how to fight? What a fool. Come on, boy! Come try me!”

Greil charges at the Black Knight and blades cross again. But no more than a minute had passed before the Black Knight broke through. A sword strike Ike knew all too well, the strike perfect against axe users, and one he was taught from his father.

The sword thrust goes through Greil, piercing through his abdomen and out his back. Greil coughed up blood as the Black Knight whispered a taunt into his ear,

“Is that all there is? No challenge? No resistance?”

He then swiftly twisted the blade and withdrew it from Greil’s gut.

Greil stumbles back, as Ike rushes over,

“Father!!!” Ike screamed,

Ike couldn’t keep Greil upright, he was too heavy. They went toppling to the ground. Ike scrambled to get back to Greil, back to his father’s side.

“Don’t… Don’t leave… Don’t leave me! Father!”

“…Unbelievable. Is this truly what has become of my teacher?” the Black Knight scoffed,

Ike just kept repeating the same word again and again, “Father! Father!!”

“I…Ike…” Greil said through gritted teeth,

A wave of relief washed over him, “Hold on!”

“Now then, will you give me what I came for?” the Black Knight asked, and Ike’s relief washed away as quickly as it came.

“I…don’t…have it………I threw…it away…” Greil wheezed out,

“Ha. You, who knows better than any what it truly is, threw it away? Surely you can craft a more plausible lie. You’re not even trying anymore,” the Black Knight laughed,

“I’m done talking to you,” Greil coughed,

“So there’s no way for me to get my answers, is that it? The dead keep their secrets, or so it is said. But you, however…You are not dead yet. I wonder…Will watching your son’s face grow pale, his eyes grow dim as his life bleeds away…And then your daughter… Oh, the horrors I will visit upon her. Will that loosen your tongue, perhaps? I suppose we will simply have to see,” the Black Knight threatened,

“What?” Ike fumed,

“No! Ike!!!” Greil commanded, but Ike was already set on attacking him,

Ike looked around for a weapon. He saw the golden sword, subtly glinting in the light of the stars. With this he may be able to do something… He pulled the sword from the ground, struggling to steady it in his hand. It was heavier than any sword Ike had ever used in his life, but it was the only choice he had. He swung the blade with all his might, but it was easy blocked. He tried again and was disarmed. The Black Knight held his sword to Ike’s throat.

“…Urk…”

“Ike!!!”

The Black Knight wielded the sword with such ease, and just held it there as he made his demands,

“I won’t check my hand again. Give me what I am after. If you offer no more resistance, I will leave your child alive.”

“S-stop…You will not touch my son!” Greil yelled as he struggled to stand,

Just then, a roar rang through the night.

“…What is this? The king of beasts? How bothersome. Do I retreat?” the Black Knight mused to himself, “Eh?”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Ike said, with the gold sword back in his hands.

“Tell me, is the son as stupid as the father?” the Black Knight asked,

As the Black Knight was deciding his next move, Greil collapsed to the ground again with a groan.

“Father!” Ike screamed,

“Ike, stop. There’s no way you can win,” Greil weakly warned him,

“But…”

“Ike!”

“You will not continue? Then I will finish…”

Another roar rang out,

“…So close. Now is not the time for me to deal with him. Hmph. You get to keep your head today, boy,” the Black Knight said as he threw out a powder, creating an array which teleported him away.

“Damn it... So willful. So arrogant…Of course… The one who…made him that way…was…m-me…” Greil whispered to himself as he lost consciousness.

“…Father? Father!” Ike yelled, “Hold on! I can’t do anything here…I’ve…I’ve got to get you back to the castle!”

Ike pulled his father’s arm over his shoulder, and started the slow walk to the castle. What he’d done in less than ten minutes would not take almost an hour. An hour he didn’t have. He could just leave his father there either. It was too dangerous. So Ike settled on the slow walk back to castle.

When they were nearing the end of the woods Ike head a voice,

“I-Ike…”

“Father? You’re awake!”

“I…There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Tell me later. Right now, I’m getting you back to the castle.”

“Forget about revenge…Leave that knight alone…Stay away…”

“What? Father?”

“Stay with the king of Gallia…Live here. Live in peace…”

“Father, stop talking. You’re wasting your strength. Please…”

“I need you to take care of everything…The company…Mist…”

“Wait…You mustn’t say such things! It’ll be light soon. You’ll be fine… A little longer…Stay a little longer…”

But even as Ike said those last words, in his heart he knew, his father was gone.


	11. Despair

“…Father. This isn’t a dream, is it? This… This is all real,”

Those were the first words Ike had spoken since Greil was buried. His father was gone, his axe as his marker. On the handle was a flower wreath made of white poppies, the Crimean flower of mourning. Mist and Titania had weaved it together before Mist slowly slid the flowers over the axe. After that, Titania had left the siblings there, to let them mourn. They’d been there for hours since the poppies had been placed. The flowers were already showing signs of wilting. Their once perfect petals had slowly begun to fall off and scattered, like tears in the wind. Soon the pure white of the flowers would fade to brown and wither away; such was life itself.

“…Mist,” Ike whispered quietly, “The sun’s going down, and it’s getting cold. Come on. Let’s go.”

Mist didn’t respond. She stayed huddled on the ground, staring off somewhere in the distance with eyes red from tears.

“Mist?” Ike called his sister again,

Mist turned to her brother before her tears began again, “Oh…Oh, Ike…”

Ike knelt down and Mist hugged her. She began to cry again, as she had many times that day.

“…W-why…Why?” Mist asked again and again. Ike tried to comfort her, petting her head as her tears soaked his cape. “I was at his side, but…I couldn’t save him. I’m sorry.”

Mist just stayed huddled in his arms crying. They stayed like that until it was nearly dark, just a sliver of light peeking over the horizon.

With the light fading, memories flooded Ike’s mind. Training with his father, the events of last night, and everything. “It’s… It’s so unreal…” Ike whispered.

“Dad’s gone… He’s gone, Ike,” Mist choked out through tears “…And…I…don’t…I don’t know what to do…”

All Ike could do was hold her closer and whisper, “Don’t worry. I’m here.”

“Bro-Brother…” Mist replied, hugging back.

“I’ll lead the company…In Father’s stead…And I’ll protect you all. You, the princess…everyone. I’ll protect you. You’ll see,” Ike declared with determination.

“Brother…Ike… No…” Mist said with panic in her voice as she went to wipe her tears.

“Mist?” Ike asked as he moved to look her in the eye.

“I won’t allow it…” Mist stated, “I can’t lose you. Don’t you see? If you go, then I’ll be all alone…I won’t allow it.”

Ike gave her a sorrowful smile, “I’m not going anywhere. I promise you, Mist…” Ike held her hands in an attempt to reassure her before they slowly made their way back.

Shortl after they’d returned, Ike went to the main area of the castle. Titania was sitting at a table, head in her hands. She was whispering to herself, trying to hold back tears. “Commander…Greil…Why is this happening? Why is any of this happening? Why now? First, Crimea…And now you…” Soren watched her from a distance in silence.

The sound of a door creaking open broke the quiet and Soren whispered, “Ike…”, as the sorrow in Ike’s features shown in the candlelight.

Titania jumped from her seat at Ike’s entrance. “Oh, Ike! Where’s Mist?”

“She’s resting in her room. Rhys and Rolf are with her,” Ike replied,

“That’s good…” Titania said sitting back down, “She needs to sleep. She’s been through too much. We all have…” Silence hung in the air before Titania suggested, “You should rest too, Ike.”

“I’ll be all right,” Ike reassured, “Grief won’t bring my father back to life.” Ike sighed and continued, “I know I’ve been a burden on the both of you. Titania, Soren, I just need to thank you both for staying here with me.”

“Not at all…” Soren replied with a painful look. The thought of Ike thinking himself a burden was a hard pill to swallow.

“There’s no need. Don’t trouble yourself,” Titania said with a wan smile.

“So…where is everyone?” Ike asked

Soren and Titania looked at eachother. Titania started, “Ike, to tell the truth…” She paused.

Ike waited for a moment before saying, “Yes?”

She just opened her mouth to speak when the door opened.

“Boyd and I are back,” Oscar said as Boyd trailed in behind him fuming.

“How did it go?” Titania asked, her tone showing she knew the answer already.

“I can’t believe it! They just left, and they didn’t take one look back! Heartless scum! I’ll never forgive them!” Boyd yelled.

“What’s going on?” Ike asked confused.

“Ike!” Boyd yelled in surprise, “I didn’t see you there. Are you doing all right?”

“I’m fine,” Ike stated, “just tell me what’s happened.”

Boyd stammered, “Well, uh, it’s…How do I… Er…Uh…”

“Shinon and Gatrie have left us,” Soren stated,

“Soren!” Boyd yelled,

“What? There’s nothing to hide, is there?” Soren said with a light shrug.

“They left? Both of them? Why did they–” Ike cut himself off, “Oh, I see. They left because of me, didn’t they?”

There was silence.

Boyd sighed and started, “Titania told us you were going to be the new commander. Shinon just about exploded…He and Gatrie left not long ago.”

“We went after them. We tried to talk things out, but it was a waste of time.” Oscar stated,

“We all knew that Ike was going to inherit command of the company, didn’t we? It just happened sooner than we wanted. It was Greil’s decision. If some of us aren’t satisfied with that, there’s no reason we should stop them from leaving. As far as losing fighting strength is concerned, we can solve that by adding new members,” Soren said matter-of-factly.

“How can you say that? After all the battles we’ve been through together, how can you say that?” Boyd said in horror.

“Forgive me, Ike. I wasn’t able to stop any of this…” Titania said with her head bowed.

“It’s not your fault, Titania. They did what they felt they had to do,” Ike stated, “They didn’t want to lose their lives to an inexperienced commander.”

“Ike! Don’t talk about yourself like that,” Titania said with anger, sorrow, and so many other emotions and worries. It was what everyone felt.

“I’m not saying that to gain anyone’s pity. It’s the truth. But even so, I have no intention of giving up command of this company,” Ike said,

“Ike? Then what will you–” Ike spoke before Titania could finish. “I’m going to follow my father’s wishes. I’m going to assume command. If everyone will accept me, that’s what I’d like to do.”

“Of course!” Titania said with the first smile she’d had all day.

“I’d already made up my mind. That’s what I was going to do all along,” Oscar said.

“What, so now you want me to start calling you Boss? Is that it? Well, I can do that. Boss it is!” Boyd teased.

“I’m in, too,” a voice said from the hall.

“Rhys!”

“Mist’s asleep. I know I missed most of the conversation, but I have a good idea of what you’ve been discussing. Commander Ike…Yes, it does have a nice ring to it,” Rhys said with a hum and a smile.

“What about you, Soren?” Ike asked,

“…Ike. I’m not sure what help I could be to you. What place is there for me in a mercenary company, anyway?” Soren asked. Ike only laughed, “You are so weird…I’ve always depended on you, haven’t I? I need your tactical knowledge. I need your objectivity. You’re not going to leave me, are you, Soren?”

Soren smiled, “Don’t worry. I’ll be here, watching over you.”

“Thank you. I know I’m not as experienced as most of you. I’m going to make some mistakes, but I’ll try not to let you down,” Ike said,

Titania got up from the table as she said, “Well, you’re going to have a lot to learn about being commander. I’m glad you’re serious, because it’s a lot of work.”

“Tell me everything,” Ike asked,

“First,” Titania started “you’ll need to understand company expenditures. Then we’ll talk about ensuring that everyone is properly outfitted. And we can’t forget the need to gather good intelligence. Oh, and you’ll want to know everyone’s abilities and relationships.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Earlier, I spoke with a merchant caravan that’s taken refuge here in the castle. They fled Crimea at the same time we did. I told them who we are, and they asked if they could travel with us. I think they’re worried about protection from Daein. In exchange, they’ve offered us a good rate on items and weapons. They’ll also buy items and forge weapons for us.”

“Uh-huh…”

“They also said we could use their wagons to store our goods. That’s one more worry off our minds.”

“Uh-huh…”

“So anyway–“

“Titania!” Ike yelled,

“Yes?” Titania asked,

“I know I said tell me everything, but…This is too much. I can’t keep up. Maybe I shouldn’t learn everything in one sitting. Can you show me the ropes along the way? Is that all right?” Ike asked,

“Oh…yes, of course. Sorry. I got a bit carried away,” Titania said laughing.

“I’ll take over for now. Why don’t you get some rest?” Ike said,

“I’m all right…” Titania said, but the fatigue was written plain as day on her face.

“You worry too much. Get some rest. That’s an order. I’ll do my best to manage,” Ike said,

“Yes…Commander,” Titania said still processing the new title.

**Not long after, the rest of the company went to sleep, and Ike quickly got to work studying the things Titania mentioned to him: expenses, weapon maintenance, intelligence… it was all so much. She mentioned something about understanding your troops? What should he do for that? Walk around camp and talk? Sparring? And then she mentioned the caravan. Should he meet with them now or…**

**“Hey! Working already, Ike?”**

**Ike jumped at the voice. It was Boyd.**

**“Oh, Boyd. What are you doing out now?” Ike asked,**

**“I was checking in on Mist, wanted to ask her how she was doing since…and I haven’t seen her since this morning.”**

**“Mm… yeah,” Ike murmured to himself.**

**“What are you up to now?” Boyd asked,**

**“I’m just going over everything Titania mentioned,” Ike replied, “It’s a lot to take in.”**

**“Well if you need any help, just let me know,” Boyd offered,**

**“…Yeah, thanks,” Ike replied. As Boyd began walking off Ike said, “Wait, Boyd. I want to know, how do you feel about this?”**

**Boyd turned around, confused, “About what?”**

**“About me being the new commander,” Ike answered, “Before you hated the idea, right? So, please, just tell me what you honestly feel about all of this. Are you really okay with taking orders from me?”**

**“Well…” Boyd started, “I know what you can do and what you can’t… I don’t know if I want you in charge if things get really dangerous. But on the other hand, this is what Commander Greil wanted… He had faith in you, and I’ve got faith in him. The commander hired both Oscar and me. When our dad died, I was the one who had to take care of baby Rolf… I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Oscar received a discharge from his military service and came home, but life was hard. That’s when Commander Greil found us… He gave us jobs, a place to sleep, food on our plates… He gave us our lives back.”**

**“Boyd,” Ike interrupted, “you’ve worked off any debt you may have owed him. You don’t have any obligation to me, so—”**

**“This isn’t about obligations anymore,” Boyd said, “ Commander Greil always said we were all part of one big family, didn’t he? I’ll do anything to protect my family… That’s why you can always count on me.”**

**“I see,” Ike replied with a light nod.**

**“Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. But don’t you ever try to hold us at arm’s length, you got that?” Boyd said as he clapped Ike on the back.**

**Ike smirked, “Don’t worry about that. I’m going to work you to the bone.”**

**“Oh, really?” Boyd laughed, “I’ll take whatever you can dish out! Try me!”**

**The two laughed a bit before Boyd went to bed. Ike pulled out some paper and began making notes on the things he had to learn. He was deep in his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. The figure in black blended into the darkness, but Ike could recognize that voice anywhere.**

“Ike, may I have a moment of your time?”

“Soren? What is it? I’m listening.”

“As Titania stated earlier, there is much for you to learn: our expenses, our ability to fight…The current status of our troops…These are all things that you must know. If you would like, I can assist you in managing these aspects of the company.”

“That would be great, Soren. Thank you,” Ike said with a smile.

“Very well, I’ll prepare reports for you after our battles from now detailing these things for you,” Soren said with a nod. “Good night, Ike.” He said as he turned to leave.

“Hold on, Soren,” Ike called as he grabbed Soren’s cape, “I… already have a lot of questions, so… would you mind explaining this to me again?”

“…All right,” Soren replied with a faint smile, “Let me get the books.”

When Soren returned, he had a bundle of books in his arms.

“Here’s all the books we use to track expenses and the like. Where would you like to begin, Ike?” Soren asked,

“Uh… how about supplies…? I still have no idea what we brought from the fort,” Ike replied,

Soren replied with a quick, “Okay.” Before diving into the material.

“So that’s what we brought and how much we have to spend… Food is running low, though they should be bringing supplies tomorrow morning, but they don’t deliver any dried meat, fresh fruit, or… Ike? Are you listening?” Ike was staring off into the distance, his head resting on one of his hands. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his eyelids threatened to close at any moment. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I… wasn’t paying attention,” Ike said with a light blush, “I must’ve dosed off a bit. Sorry.”

 **Soren snorted, “** I would have never guessed.”

 **“Sorry, sorry,” Ike apologized again, “But, c** ould you run the report by me again?”

 **“** You’re tired, Ike. You need rest. Go find a cot somewhere,” Soren ordered.

 **Ike was taken aback, “** You can tell?”

 **“** Of course. When you’re not feeling well, your left eye twitches,” Soren said like it was the most mundane news.

 **“** That’s…odd. I never noticed,” Ike muttered,

 **“** Get some sleep. We’ll have a chance to do this another time,” Soren said, closing the book.

“Well, I am pretty beat…” Ike was about to try justifying working more when Soren cut in.

 **“** Go,” Soren said with a shooing motion.

 **Ike laughed lightly as he said, “** You know, Soren? Under that tough exterior, you’re a really kind and gentle person.”

 **“** Excuse me?” Soren said as he looked up from the books he was gathering.

“Oh, nothing,” Ike chuckled, “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

“Mmm. Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Soren replied after him.

On his way to bed, Ike spotted someone kneeling on the ground.

“Rhys?” Ike asked,

He turned around at the sound of his name, “Ike…”

“What were you doing?” Ike asked,

“I was praying,” Rhys replied,

“For my father?”

“Yes. You see, the commander… he… he…” Rhys couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. He composed himself as soon as he could before continuing, “I’m sorry… I know this must be… so much harder on you… Forgive me…”

“… A long time ago, my father told me a story… It was about the dead… He said the more tears we shed.. the more blessings they receive in the afterlife… I envy you, Rhys. For some reason, I can’t seem to cry at all… Rhys, if you could, shed a tear for me, too. I’d be grateful.”

“…I-Ike. I would be honored,” Rhys said as his tears began to flow again.

Ike gave a small smile, “… Thanks, Rhys. Thanks for caring so much about my father…” It was at that moment Ike felt he was being watched. Unmistakable green hair peeked out from around the corner. Ike walked over to the figure to find Rolf waiting for him.

“What’s going on, Rolf?” Ike asked,

“Oh, Ike. If you’re wondering about Mist, she just fell asleep.”

“Oh, good. Thanks for being here to support her,” Ike replied,

“It’s no trouble at all, Ike,” Rolf said,

“It pretty late. You should be in bed,” Ike stated,

“I will, but…um…” Rolf stammered as he messed with the hem of his shirt.

“What is it?” Ike asked,

“Mist is just fine,” Rolf stated. Ike only looked back confused as Rolf continued, “You’re here, Ike. So she’s fine. I mean, she’s going to be just fine. That’s all.”

“Well, good night, Ike,” Rolf said before scurrying off to bed.

“Rolf… Thank you,” Ike whispered to himself before turning to Rhys, “It’s nice to see how much my father meant to everyone. I promise to do my best as commander.”

“I’m sure you’ll do a fine job as commander, Ike,” Rhys replied with a wan smile, “Well, we should be getting to bed, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah, we should,” Ike replied, “Good night, Rhys.”

“Good night, Ike,”

Ike got in bed and fell asleep, but he wasn’t asleep for long when he heard the sounds of someone crying. Ike looked around the room for who it could be. Soren was sleeping near the door, and not too far from him; Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf were all sleeping nearby; Rhys was sleeping in the other room with Mist and Titania. Ike tiptoed to where Mist was sleeping, guessing that she may have started crying again. But when Ike got there Mist was fast asleep. There was one person missing though: Titania. Ike quietly walked over to the window and looked out. It was hard to miss Titania’s signature red hair, even with just the starlight. She was standing in the woods crying.

It was in that moment Ike realized something he never gave much though. For each person it was different, but his father meant so much to everyone. And it was his job to protect what his father had left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I don't like writing notes (especially after everything that has happened to these guys), but I wanted to ask about supports. I plan or trying to cover every possible support conversation in the game, but I know there are some characters who don't get enough. So I want to know: what characters do you think I should write supports for? I already have some in mind, but I want to ask since I may be overlooking something. Anyways, I hope I did this chapter justice, and I hope you continue reading.


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